Tomorrow in Seoul: 80% Humidity… Sweating Even While Still
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, today (the 7th), the relative humidity in Seoul is 75%. With the forecast of "sticky weather" causing sweat to flow down the back even while still, the discomfort index is also rising sharply.
In particular, tomorrow (the 8th), humid air with 80% humidity is expected to blanket Seoul, making people hesitant to go outside.
In this context, a video titled "100% Humidity" filmed in Hong Kong last year is gaining attention again among netizens on online communities.
What Happens at 100% Humidity… Crispness Disappears
In the video, inside a house, potato chips are absorbing moisture and fluttering like paper, while moisture is visibly dripping down the walls.
Drops of water are falling from the ceiling, and a resident, unable to bear it any longer, is using a hairdryer to dry the ceiling.
The video also features a child sleeping with an umbrella next to the bed, indicating that they're on standby in case of dripping water.
The painting hanging on the wall is bleeding colors due to moisture, and the bathroom mirror appears foggy and blurry.
Relative Humidity of 100%… Water Vapor in the Air is Saturated
A relative humidity (RH) of 100% means that the water vapor in the air has reached saturation. In this state, if the temperature drops even slightly, the water vapor condenses, forming fog, dew, or water droplets.
As a result, in Hong Kong, even without additional water being splashed, moisture seeped into the ceiling, walls, and floors, causing items to become damp.
Hong Kong particularly suffers from extreme humidity in the spring, caused by warm and humid maritime air currents flowing in from the south. When this air meets the relatively cool surface of Guangdong Province in China, condensation occurs throughout the city.
This leads to water droplets forming on glass windows and leaving water stains on walls, ceilings, and furniture. Particularly, as the temperature difference between the interiors and exteriors of high-rise buildings in the city increases, this phenomenon becomes even more pronounced.
High Humidity Signals Health Risks
Such high humidity levels not only cause inconvenience in daily life but also affect health.
Dr. Edmond Lam Wing Wah, a family medicine specialist in Hong Kong, warned that "when humidity is high, it becomes difficult to regulate body temperature, allergy symptoms worsen, and the transmission of infectious diseases becomes easier." Especially for the elderly and children, it takes longer to adapt to climate changes, increasing the risk of exposure to diseases.
Moreover, infectious diseases like COVID-19, which primarily spread through droplets, can survive longer in humid air, posing another problem.
Dr. Lam suggested maintaining household relative humidity at 40-60%.
May Wai-chun, representative of the Hong Kong Domestic Workers Union, advised, "If you don't have a dehumidifier, make sure to close the windows and run a fan on low speed for ventilation." She added, "Because humidity seeps into every corner of the home, be cautious of food spoilage and mold growth."
Additionally, it is beneficial to develop habits like immediately wiping down the bathroom after a shower, ventilating after cooking, and checking for gaps in storage areas to prevent mold growth.
YouTube 'South China Morning Post'
Image source: scmp
