# Effect of storms on boiling point **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-storms-on-boiling-point/686575 "2014-04-21T01:26:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-storms-on-boiling-point/686575/1 "2014-04-21T01:26:45Z")
I know that water boils at a lower temperature at high altitudes because of the lower air pressure. Since storms are areas of low pressure, how much would they effect the boiling point? Say I am at sea level during a typical nor’easter. At the peak of the storm, what temperature would water boil at? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-storms-on-boiling-point/686575/2 "2014-04-21T02:07:22Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I know that water boils at a lower temperature at high altitudes because of the lower air pressure. Since storms are areas of low pressure, how much would they effect the boiling point? Say I am at sea level during a typical nor’easter. At the peak of the storm, what temperature would water boil at? A bad low pressure is like 1000 meters of altitude… not as much change in water boiling temperature as climbing up Everest…Up on Everest pressure is down to 40% of surface level. See > **[Water - Boiling Points at Higher Pressures](https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiling-point-water-d_926.html)** > > Online calculator, figures and tables showing boiling points of water at pressures ranging from 14.7 to 3200 psia (1 to 220 bara). Temperature given as °C, °F, K and °R. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-storms-on-boiling-point/686575/3 "2014-04-21T04:46:26Z")
Short answer: about a degree or two Long answer - check out the NIST handy-dandy table for [saturation properties](http://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/fluid.cgi?Action=Load&ID=C7732185&Type=SatT&Digits=5&PLow=0.98&PHigh=1.05&PInc=0.01&RefState=DEF&TUnit=F&PUnit=bar&DUnit=mol%2Fl&HUnit=kJ%2Fmol&WUnit=m%2Fs&VisUnit=uPa*s&STUnit=N%2Fm) for water, from 980 mbar to 1050 mbar which I believe is a pretty typical atmospheric pressure range for most inhabited places on earth. Someone correct me if I’m wrong. From the table: at 980 mbar the boiling point is 210.28 F at 1050 mbar the boiling point is 213.76 F You can use the NIST website to plug in whatever pressure range you want, it’s a very useful website. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-storms-on-boiling-point/686575/4 "2014-04-21T04:56:21Z")
…should have specified sea level, ish. Higher altitudes run lower of course. If you want the full story, just go ahead and plug in the full range of atmospheric pressures you want to see. I believe a typical thunderstorm pressure drop is something like 20-30 mbar. A hurricane is something like 30 - 70 mbar. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-storms-on-boiling-point/686575/5 "2014-04-21T11:22:53Z")
Based on where I live… a decent North Atlantic storm (such as hits the UK most winters) can get down to below 950mb SLP. A summer high pressure can reach 1045mb or, exceptionally, 1050mb. So you’re looking at roughly a 100mb range of extremes. Using [this calculator](http://www.csgnetwork.com/h2oboilcalc.html), that comes out, at sea level, to a range of only about 98.2C to 101.0C. I’m surprised it’s as little as that, given that 100mb range of pressure is quite large compared to the 1013mb standard atmospheric pressure. But I’m sure there is a good reason for that, if I apply my brain.