Jerry Wayne Sill, age 12, of Shreveport, a., for his question:

What is humidity in the weather?

Humidity is moisture in the air. The moisture is in the form of vapor which is a gas. We cannot see it, taste it or smell it. Nevertheless, when the humidity is acute, we certainly know about it. For high humidity makes a hot day oppressive and sticky.

Vapor acts like the other gases in the air. It exerts pressure in all directions. It adds its weight to the weight of the air around us, On a humid day the air feels heavier because it actually is heavier. It feels damp and sticky because the air is too full of moisture to dry our sweaty hands and foreheads.

Humidity is estimated in a scale of values. At a certain temperature the air can hold so much and no more water vapor. It has a saturation point which is 100 degrees of humidity. High humidity is from 80 to 100 degrees. Low humidity is 20 degrees or less. There is always some vapor in the air, even over the driest desert. Hence there is no place on earth where the humidity ever gets to be zero degrees.