Is humid air more dense or less dense?
The last few days, the humidity has been much lower than it had been for most of the summer, making the air outside feel pleasant. Many people also assume that humid air, feeling so sticky, must be more dense than dry air. But, cold air is more dense than warm air, and dry air is more dense than humid air.
We can see why if we look at some math. The ideal gas law, pV=nRT can be re-arranged to show that the density of the air is proportional to the pressure and the molecular weight, and inversely proportional to the temperature.
The part about temperature is pretty easy. Air with no humidity in it (and a pressure of 1000 mb, typical in Alabama) has a density of 1.93 lb per cubic yard at 90 degrees, and 2.16 lb per cubic yard at 32 degrees.
But, if we add in water vapor, that has a molecular weight of 18, to the air that has a molecular weight of 29, it actually makes the air less dense. For example, at 90 degrees but with dry air (a dewpoint of 50), the air density is 1.92. But, with very moist air at the same temperature (a dewpoint of 75), the air density is only 1.91. Not a big change, but significant enough to cause moist air to be a little more buoyant and produce more storms.