Urban and rural humidity distributions: Relationships to surface materials and land use

Abstract Most weather elements are modified by urban areas. Humidity is among the least studied of the modified elements. Quantitative associations of urban and rural humidity variations with surface materials and land use in Lawrence, Kansas, a relatively small eastern Great Plains city are examined. Results are based on 45 dew point temperature distributions obtained in summer and autumn. Man‐made surface materials are consistently negatively correlated with humidity, whereas most natural surfaces are positively related. Residential and educational‐institutional land uses and undeveloped land are related positively to morning and afternoon humidity values; fewer significant relationships exist between evening humidity distributions and land use.