How does relative humidity drop below 100%

[wasup23]

How is it that once the dew point is reached, moisture continues to condense. What is causing the imbalance of partial water vapor pressure?

Does the rise in atmospheric temperature simply pass up the evaporation rate too quickly?

 

[jbriggs444]

How is it that once the dew point is reached, moisture continues to condense. What is causing the imbalance of partial water vapor pressure?

Does the rise in atmospheric temperature simply pass up the evaporation rate too quickly?

For example, humid air over hot dry pavement -- you have an increase in temperature with no additional water vapor being added to the system. Relative humidity decreases and the air is now hotter than the dew point.

 

[Khashishi]

It takes some time for evaporation. Evaporation is a lot slower than boiling, so the temperature can increase above the dew point even if some bodies of water are present.