How is the water quality these days? (Fort Myers, Lee: house, live in)

[Hawaii4evr]

^^^Thanks for the article. I was aware of cold snaps, but thought they occured in wintertime.

[hiknapster]

hiker, thank you for those wonderful stories. I would love to find that book, too!

There is a woman on the Tennessee forum that grew up on Marco Island long, long before the high rises and the tourists and snowbirds took over. There is a real estate agent on the Sarasota forum that grew up on a barrier island around there. Her dad was a newspaper man and she tells some wonderful stories of what Florida was like back then, too. First time I visited Florida was in the early 70s. My great aunt and uncle had been snowbirding for about 10 years by then. It was such a different time!

I know you all had a cold snap down there but think of it this way; if it is cold down there imagine what it is up here. And it is far worse up north!

[Billythepokerkid]

The reason the Gulf gets so much cooler is because of the huge difference in depth between the Gulf and the Atlantic. In the Gulf you can be 25 miles off shore and only be in 50-60 feet of water, while in the Atlantic you can be in a 100 feet of water less than a mile offshore. Once the water is warmed by the 325+ days of 80+ degree weather every year it takes a lot longer to cool it down. Also factor in the Gulf stream that brings even warmer water from the tropics right up the East coast and you have a 5-10 degree difference in water temps for most of the winter. In the summer the Gulf is usually a few degrees warmer for basically the same reasons.

On another note. 54% humidity, which is today, is hardly humid, especially when it's only 78 degrees.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Billythepokerkid

On another note. 54% humidity, which is today, is hardly humid, especially when it's only 78 degrees.

Hi, Billy. Hope you weren't referring to my post. I didn't say the humidity was 54%. I wrote

Right now it's very pleasant in Fort Myers, just a little humid. Dew point is 54.

When I wrote my last post the humidity (according to The Weather Channel) was 87%. It's often more humid late at night. Not a big deal, just clarifying what I wrote.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

I know you all had a cold snap down there but think of it this way; if it is cold down there imagine what it is up here. And it is far worse up north!

I know what you mean! As I said, I enjoy a cool night, since I get a chance to throw on a blanket or 2, although 40 is a little chilly for me.

When it comes to weather, the past couple of years have certainly been strange times. Last year I watched the covered bridges in Vermont get washed away by Irene and this year I watched with sadness as Sandy caused so much destruction and devastation in New Jersey. It was almost surreal sitting in SWFL with very little wind or rain while my old haunts up north were being pounded by the storms.

[justNancy]

Last year Hiknapster gave a detailed explanation of dew point vs humidity, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on this thread by posting this article, since we're talking about the weather in Florida.

[URL="http://weathersavvy.com/Q-Science_Dewpoint.html"]Wx Savvy | Science[/URL]


Coincidentally, the article mentions..

"One thing you'll notice is that when the air temperature is close to the dew point, the relative humidity is high (often 80% or greater). But the relative humidity is "relative"or dependent. Relative humidity is dependent upon the temperature. So, if the temperature changes, the relative humidity will change."

..which is what I was talking about in my post. The dew point was 54 and the temperature was 61, but the relative humidity was over 80%.

Again, no big deal, but it does make a difference. In the summer, the dew points in SWFL are often 70 or more, which is why it feels so muggy. This time of year, the dew point is usually under 60.

BTW, I am not lecturing. I also learn a lot as I post & Google!

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by justNancy

Hi, Billy. Hope you weren't referring to my post. I didn't say the humidity was 54%. I wrote



When I wrote my last post the humidity (according to The Weather Channel) was 87%. It's often more humid late at night. Not a big deal, just clarifying what I wrote.

I was referring to the humidity at that very moment. After 30 summers of 75+% humidity during the day and dew points in the mid 70's, the occasional high humidity during winter nights isn't even noticeable, especially when it's 60 degrees.

[justNancy]

True. As the old expression goes "it's all relative!" (sort of like the humidity! Right now it's minus 23 degrees F in Vostok, Antarctica. If I were there, I don't think I'd care at all about the dew point or the humidity.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by justNancy

Last year Hiknapster gave a detailed explanation of dew point vs humidity, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on this thread by posting this article, since we're talking about the weather in Florida.

Wx Savvy | Science

God, I'm thrilled to have someone else help me explain dew points!

So few "get" it. They look at the temp and humidity levels up North and think it is going to feel the same in Southwest Florida. Thank you.

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

God, I'm thrilled to have someone else help me explain dew points!

So few "get" it. They look at the temp and humidity levels up North and think it is going to feel the same in Southwest Florida. Thank you.

The dew point is only the temperature at which the current humidity will create fog or "dew". The Midwest has dew points in the summer time that are higher than they are here. A few years ago I was in Chicago in August, the dew point was 82, I don't remember ever seeing a dew point that high here. The issue with comparing the weather here to the weather up North is just the lack of relief in Florida. While they may have a week or so of 90+ degree weather with 70+ degree dew points, they usually get a few days break between heat waves, while in Florida it's those heat waves they get there for pretty much 4 straight months.