Steam produces more severe burns than boiling water.
When boiling water (100°C) comes into contact with your skin, it can burn you because of its high temperature. However, steam, which is water in its gaseous state, carries more heat energy than boiling water at the same temperature. This is because steam undergoes a phase change when it condenses into liquid water.
When steam (at 100°C) condenses on your skin, it releases latent heat of vaporization, which is the heat energy required to change water from a liquid to a gas without a temperature change. This extra heat released by steam can cause more severe burns compared to the same temperature of boiling water.
In simpler terms:
Boiling water: Burns from direct contact with hot water.
Steam: Burns from both the heat of the gas and the additional energy released when it condenses into liquid.
This makes steam more dangerous and capable of causing more severe burns.