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s0rce t1_j0lgxsm wrote

Reply to comment by kilotesla in How does high humidity affect perceived temperature in hot and cold environments? by MindTheReddit

I've looked into this and haven't found good data but agree with you it's not the air thermal conductivity. I think the issue is largely the effectiveness of most clothing insulation is reduced significantly by humidity

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kilotesla t1_j0m3ajh wrote

Here's some data, a regression model based on a large data set of actual comfort surveys in different conditions. The results are summarized in figure 8, where you see that the highest temperature considered comfortable is dramatically affected by humidity, but the effect on the coldest temperature considered comfortable is tiny, and perhaps not statistically significant.

This is all indoors, however, whereas I think the question is more focused on outdoors. It's worth noting that the temperature considered there is the operative temperature including the effect of the mean radiant temperature as well as the air temperature.

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kilotesla t1_j0lv6y5 wrote

Yes, the effect of humidity on insulation is a very real effect, perhaps better documented for building insulation then for clothing, although it's well known among outdoors enthusiasts that cotton loses its insulation value rapidly when it's wet to the point of being soggy. Of course, that's complicated by the fact that the local environment between the shell of your outer layer and your skin might have different humidity than the outdoor air, especially when you first step outside and form the impression of how cold it feels.

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