Mondo Knows Facts
The dew point marks when condensation starts
Cool air below this temperature can no longer hold all its water vapour Warm air can carry more vapour than cold air. The dew point is the temperature at which the air becomes saturated, so further cooling forces water onto surfaces or into droplets. When the dew point and the air temperature are close, mist, fog or rain becomes likely. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
Where this comes from
Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
Go further
More facts like this
Frost forms straight from water vapourOn cold nights vapour turns to ice without first becoming liquid waterOceans circulate driven by heat and saltCold salty water sinks near the poles and draws a slow global conveyorWater exists as solid liquid and gas at its triple pointAt zero point zero one degrees Celsius and specific pressure water coexists in three statesSurface tension allows water striders to walk on liquidCohesive hydrogen bonds draw surface water molecules into an elastic skin-like filmWater expands as it transforms from liquid to iceHydrogen bonding locks frozen water molecules into an open hexagonal latticeWater boils cooler high on mountainsAt low pressure water reaches boiling point well below 100 degrees Celsius
🔬 Sciencefact 164 of 200
← → to keep reading, or swipe
Tags: weather, water, humidity
The dew point marks when condensation starts: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Cool air below this temperature can no longer hold all its water vapour. The figure is taken from Met Office, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a science fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.