In science class, you may have learned that heat changes water from a liquid to a gas. Molecules made up of three atoms (two hydrogen and one oxygen) are moving around because of thermal motion. As the water gets hotter, the molecules move faster. Evaporation speeds up. The molecules break loose and form bubbles, which rise into the air as steam.
This change happens at a temperature called the boiling point, 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). But did you know this is the boiling point at sea level? Altitude changes the game.
The higher you are above sea level, the lower the boiling point of water. That's because the higher you get, the lower the atmospheric pressure becomes. Less heat is needed to boil water. Check out this BBC Earth Science video that shows water boiling at 82 degrees at the Mount Everest base camp!