It is said to be "humid" before a summer storm because the warm, moisture-laden air prevents sweat from evaporating properly, creating a sensation of discomfort and suffocation. This high humidity and heat usually signal the imminent arrival of a storm.
That somewhat oppressive sensation of heaviness before a storm mainly comes from the hot, humid, and still air surrounding us. In fact, our body regulates its temperature through sweating: when we sweat, water evaporates from the surface of our skin and cools us down. But when the air is saturated with humidity, evaporation becomes more difficult and sweat stays stuck to the skin. As a result, body heat escapes poorly, we feel hot, clammy, uncomfortable, and it creates that heavy feeling we call "heaviness." Moreover, just before a storm, atmospheric pressure often drops slightly, and this change can intensify this uncomfortable sensation. That's why we experience this somewhat suffocating atmosphere just before the storm breaks.
Before the storm, the air is often heavy with humidity, which enhances this feeling of heaviness. This high humidity simply means that the air contains a large amount of water vapor, without forming visible droplets. Our body regulates its temperature by sweating: sweat evaporates and carries heat away. But when there is a lot of humidity in the air, evaporation is poor. The result: our sweat stays stuck to the skin, we sweat more without really cooling down, which creates this feeling of clammy and heavy discomfort just before the storm arrives.
Atmospheric pressure corresponds to the weight exerted by the air above our heads. Before a storm, this pressure often drops slightly and quickly, and our body is sensitive to these variations. Our joints, in particular, contain fluids and gases that expand slightly when the pressure falls. As a result, some people experience joint pain or headaches as the storm approaches. You may also feel a bit more tired or heavy because your body is trying to adapt to these pressure changes. This sudden change is perceived by the body as a small additional strain, hence this strange sensation before the storm breaks.
When it's hot, our body sweats to release excess heat. But if the air is already very warm, this sweat evaporates poorly. As a result, the high temperature combined with high humidity prevents our body from effectively losing heat, which intensifies the unpleasant sensation of heaviness, fatigue, and oppression. Our body then has to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature, which drains our energy without us necessarily realizing it. The result is that before a storm, we often feel lethargic, uncomfortable, and weighed down by the hot air surrounding us.
After a storm, the air often becomes fresher, less humid, and the atmospheric pressure usually returns to normal. The fallen rain allows the water present in the air to condense and leave the atmosphere, thereby lowering the ambient humidity. As a result, your body sweats more easily, the familiar feeling of heaviness disappears, and you regain a sense of lighter, more breathable air. The storm acts as a kind of natural atmospheric cleansing, rebalancing temperature, pressure, and humidity.
Lightning is an electrical discharge that can reach a temperature of about 30,000°C, which is approximately five times the temperature on the surface of the Sun.
When you see a lightning flash, you can estimate the distance of the storm by counting the number of seconds between the lightning and the thunder, then dividing that number by three. This calculation gives you an approximate distance in kilometers.
The term "feeling heavy" has nothing to do with the mass of the air but rather refers to an atmosphere saturated with humidity, making it more difficult for sweat to evaporate from our skin and increasing our discomfort.
Summer thunderstorms often occur in the late afternoon or early evening, as this is the time of day when the warming of the Earth's surface reaches its peak, causing strong atmospheric instability.
Before a storm, atmospheric pressure generally drops, which can cause a slight dilation of blood vessels in some sensitive individuals. This often leads to headaches or migraines.
No, the air is not literally heavier. The feeling of heaviness results from the high humidity in the air, which limits the evaporation of sweat, combined with high heat and often absent or weak wind. Atmospheric pressure generally even decreases slightly before a storm.
Many animals have senses that are sharper or different from ours. Some can perceive subtle changes in atmospheric pressure, hear sound frequencies inaudible to humans that accompany storms, or even feel electrostatic changes in the air before the storm actually breaks.
Hot, moisture-laden air prevents our sweat from evaporating effectively. Since the evaporation of sweat is our primary means of cooling the body, our body sweats even more in an attempt to cool down, hence the unpleasant feeling of excessive sweating without relief.
A summer thunderstorm usually forms when warm, moist air rapidly rises into the cooler upper layers of the atmosphere. This rapid ascent causes quick condensation of moisture, forming thick clouds called cumulonimbus. These clouds are responsible for the intense rainfall, thunder, and lightning characteristic of thunderstorms.
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