Where does this come from, and can I check it?

At low pressure water reaches boiling point well below 100 degrees Celsius. The figure is taken from NOAA, 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.

Mondo Knows Facts

Water boils cooler high on mountains

At low pressure water reaches boiling point well below 100 degrees Celsius Boiling happens when a liquid's vapour pressure matches the surrounding air pressure. High on a mountain there is less air pressing down, so less heat is needed to reach that balance. On the summit of Everest water boils at roughly 70 degrees Celsius, which makes cooking slow. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

NOAA

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Water needs a lot of heat to warm upWater has one of the highest specific heat capacities of any common substance Water exists as solid liquid and gas at its triple pointAt zero point zero one degrees Celsius and specific pressure water coexists in three states Surface tension allows water striders to walk on liquidCohesive hydrogen bonds draw surface water molecules into an elastic skin-like film The pascal measures pressure as one newton per square metreStandard atmospheric pressure equals roughly 100,000 pascals at sea level Frost forms straight from water vapourOn cold nights vapour turns to ice without first becoming liquid water Sweating cools you through latent heatEach gram of evaporating sweat carries away a large amount of body heat

Tags: physics, water, pressure

Water boils cooler high on mountains: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: At low pressure water reaches boiling point well below 100 degrees Celsius. The figure is taken from NOAA, 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.