Humidity: For or against?

[Midpack]

Actually the title is a joke...

But in my experience, 85°F with very high humidity (Tampa FL) is more uncomfortable than 100°F with low humidity (Dallas TX - 'but it's a dry heat'). Maybe some people adapt to humidity better than I do. There are other places similar I am sure, but Houston/Galveston in summer is the most uncomfortable place I remember - gadzooks (as my Dad would say)!

While I'd like to live in an arid climate (and have), there are other reasons we don't plan to retire there...

 

[W2R]

I despise low humidity. I have very thin, delicate skin and my lips and face bleed when they get dried out from low humidity because it is no good for the skin. I used so much chapstick when I was living in San Diego, that I nearly independently kept the company afloat. And moisturizer? You know it. I smelled like a big almond all the time from it. But all of that just didn't do much more than keep me from bleeding to death. I still bled so much that people would ask me what happened. We had a humidifier but my ex couldn't stand having it on all the time, oh well.

Not only is low humidity bad for delicate skin, but also it is easier to suffer from heat related problems and heat exhaustion in low humidity because you cannot feel the heat as well. Here, when someone gets hot they KNOW it so they loll about and rest, or seek the AC. These are healthy, normal responses to being overheated IMO.

I am probably the only person on earth who really loves our humidity here in New Orleans. Almost NO chapping, certainly no bleeding, and my healthy, supple skin has a radiant glow and looks great. My body was meant to live in the humid South.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I love the humidity too, though I'm pretty much a lip balm addict in the winter when the humidity drops.
My summer job for many teen years involved processing tea in a tiny factory that had a 250 degree propane dryer and about 90% humidity. Outside felt awesome by comparison!
Although I might not have W2R's radiant glow, I agree that humid's the place for me! I'd roast in a desert environment!

 

[foxfirev5]

Having worked outside in both the Everglades and Arizona desert in the summer I give a vote to neither.

 

[Packman]

I live near Denver and love the low humidity. I used to say "I hate sticky". When you get out of the shower and you feel at wet as when you were in the shower, that ain't right.

When we travel to FL to take cruises in the winter, I'm always swayed to move there. Then I look at their average humidity of something like 77% year round, and I decide I'll take the 20% we have around here.

 

[gardenfun]

After 30 years in humid and 30 years in dry (actually semi-arid according to the nifty map Midpack posted) I gotta vote for dry. Here in the east bay beyond the Oakland hills, it can get to the 90's during the day in summer, but will drop down to the 60's at night, if the onshore breezes are blowing. ahhhhhh. Even in the daytime, if you go into the shade, it's cooler. that never happens in the steamy east.
Spent a summer in New Jersey with no central air 7 - 9 months pregnant.

 

[Fishingmn]

First day of spring in Twin Cities and high today is 21. Give me humidity!!

 

[aaronc879]

I'm house sitting for family in Florida for the winter and i've talked to a lot of people about weather. Nobody down here likes the summer humidity. Those who have lived in Texas or Arizona say that Flordia Humidity makes their summers worse than the desert summers. They all say the same thing. They ALL also say that both Florida summer humidity and summers in the desert are much better than spending another winter day in the north. Of course those who can afford to summer up north and winter in the south are the happiest. My hope is to eventually stay 6 months in Wisconsin and 6 months in Florida.

 

[Packman]

I'm house sitting for family in Florida for the winter and i've talked to a lot of people about weather. Nobody down here likes the summer humidity. Those who have lived in Texas or Arizona say that Flordia Humidity makes their summers worse than the desert summers. They all say the same thing. They ALL also say that both Florida summer humidity and summers in the desert are much better than spending another winter day in the north. Of course those who can afford to summer up north and winter in the south are the happiest. My hope is to eventually stay 6 months in Wisconsin and 6 months in Florida.

I lived in Wisconsin for 35 years. They only have two seasons - winter and road construction.

 

[HFWR]

After spending time, albeit limited, in both Denver and Tucson, I like the low-humidity, but my sinuses hate it...

 

[Alan]

I don't like high humidity in either hot or cold weather. In cold weather (30 - 45) high humidity feels a lot worse than low humidity. (Note my definition of cold is from the perspective of someone who has only ever lived in the UK, SE Texas and South Louisiana).

 

[timeasterday]

In cold weather (30 - 45) high humidity feels a lot worse than low humidity.

Definitely. Here in Georgia we have hot & humid summers but the winter is usually pretty dry, but not quite to an arid level. My wife's home country of Taiwan is humid year-round. Last time we visited was in the middle of winter and that cold air got down into your bones. I'm thinking "do I really want to retire there?"

 

[Alan]

Definitely. Here in Georgia we have hot & humid summers but the winter is usually pretty dry, but not quite to an arid level. My wife's home country of Taiwan is humid year-round. Last time we visited was in the middle of winter and that cold air got down into your bones. I'm thinking "do I really want to retire there?"

Since we retired we get out of Texas for several months a year during the summer. As the travel becomes tiresome (2 or 3 years time?) we plan on setting up a permanent place in the UK and dividing our time equally between the 2. Summers in the UK, winters in Texas.

 

[Midpack]

I lived in Wisconsin for 35 years. They only have two seasons - winter and road construction.

I've heard Maine's climate described as 10 months of brutal winter and 2 months of poor sledding.

 

[Alan]

I've heard Maine's climate described as 10 months of brutal winter and 2 months of poor sledding.

And if you ask someone from Maine what they do in the summertime they say, "If it lands on a weekend we have a picnic".

 

[sengsational]

I think humidity is why Mr Carrier invented A/C. I lived in Florida an North Carolina most of my life, and would say that I'm ok with humidity as long as I have reliable electricity and reliable A/C.

 

[audreyh1]

Actually the title is a joke...

But in my experience, 85°F with very high humidity (Tampa FL) is more uncomfortable than 100°F with low humidity (Dallas TX - 'but it's a dry heat'). Maybe some people adapt to humidity better than I do. There are other places similar I am sure, but Houston/Galveston in summer is the most uncomfortable place I remember - gadzooks (as my Dad would say)!

While I'd like to live in an arid climate (and have), there are other reasons we don't plan to retire there...

Great map!

We noticed down here in the Valley, the humidity in the summer was way lower than in central Texas (Austin), even though the high temps could be a few degrees higher. You just couldn't stand to be outside period during the summer in Austin. Here it's not bad at all if you seek the shade, and the mornings and evenings can be quite pleasant. It does tend to be more humid in the mornings, but the evenings have low humidity and it cools off at night.

I'm always surprised when someone complains about the humidity down here - especially if they are from the mid-west. It's way more humid up there in the summer! No, you don't want to stand in the sun when it hits 100% in the afternoon, but it can be fairly comfortable in the shade, especially with our typical breeze (another characteristic that helps make the summer temps tolerable).

Now if someone is from the west and used to humidity 25% or lower, they are allowed to complain. But humidity of 40-60% is pretty darn comfortable, and that's what we have during our warmer months.

 

[KingB]

I prefer the low humidity. The only thing I hate about the low humidity is the static shock that I frequently get. Like when I get off the car, open the door or touch an electronic device. Fortunately, I have not zapped any of these devices.

 

[travelover]

I despise low humidity. I have very thin, delicate skin and my lips and face bleed when they get dried out from low humidity because it is no good for the skin. ...........

+1. I used to have to live out of a hotel for weeks at a time in Phoenix in the winter. My skin was so dry at night that it literately cracked. I ended up filling a waste basket with water and draping a towel over the heater vent with one end of the towel in the water. I'm sure that the hotel staff thought I was a crackpot, but it worked like crazy.

 

[haha]

Warm summer weather here tends ot be low humidity, and it pleasant. Winters are very humid, and on the cold side, an unpleasant combination. I have been more comfortable in Eatern WA 30 degrees F lower than winter temps here, because it tends to be much less humid. And hot summer weather in Eastern WA is drier and more pleasant also than the occasional very hot weather here in Western WA. To me, the world's best climate is Reno, NV. It can get a little cold and windy in winter, but very dry and to me pleasant. Second is the beach cities in SoCal.

Ha

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I am a native of south Texas, and I've had about all the humidity down there that I would ever want. Even more than that, I absolutely HATE the desert and dry air.

If i have to have humidity, I would pick the humidity in OREGON.

 

[David1961]

I've always lived in a high humidity area. Don't particularly like it, but whenever I have traveled to places like Arizona or Denver, I always get a lot of sinus congestion, which does not totally clear up until I get back to my "high humidity" area.

 

[mpeirce]

After enjoying the low humidity in San Jose, I moved back home to Ohio. I would never have made the move without air conditioning - which makes summer much more pleasant. I grew up w/o air conditioning in Ohio and the humidity was just dreadful.

 

[EvrClrx311]

But in my experience, 85°F with very high humidity (Tampa FL) is more uncomfortable than 100°F with low humidity (Dallas TX - 'but it's a dry heat').

I can relate to this. I remember my youth (ages 6-10) growing up in Mojave Desert, where it rained 3-4 times a year. Days when it got into the 100's I felt comfortable sitting under a tree...

From that I moved to Montgomery Alabama, ages 10-12 and couldn't stand to be outside if it got above 80. I remember sweat accumulating on my skin when it was 78 out and I was just sitting on a bench under a tree. Hard to tell if it was sweat, or condensation from the air. Some days it felt like the air had over 100% humidity... like walking through a sauna.

This could be a case of extremes. Clearly my body was used to the dry heat... but the thought has carried with me ever since. I'll take low humidity 90s over humid 70's any day.

Where I currently live I get a little of both. In the winter it gets pretty dry, and in the summer we see 90% humidity fairly often. Love the fall/spring, where you get a good transition/mix of both.

 

[imoldernu]

High humidity avg.:
Most Humid Cities in USA - Current Results:

Avg, in your town by month:

Average Relative Humidity(%)

Averages lie.
Today in my town.
16F Wind Chill -2F ........ Last year, same day High 87F

Ya don't like the weather? Wait a minute!