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Portland and Seattle have dry summers. Also, the very mild average highs mean that the absolute humidity can not reach the levels experienced in most parts of the US in the summer.
So basically those places are humid, but you just don't feel it the way you do in other parts of the country because the summer temps don't get as high? Am I understanding correctly? I'm asking sincerely, because I was considering a move to Portland or Seattle, or some place in that general part of the country, because I desperately want to get away from the mugginess of the midwest. I've read that Eugene Oregon is one of the top 10 most humid cities in the country. Is there something in particular about that part of the state which would cause Eugene to have such a different level of humidity than Portland?
So basically those places are humid, but you just don't feel it the way you do in other parts of the country because the summer temps don't get as high? Am I understanding correctly? I'm asking sincerely, because I was considering a move to Portland or Seattle, or some place in that general part of the country, because I desperately want to get away from the mugginess of the midwest. I've read that Eugene Oregon is one of the top 10 most humid cities in the country. Is there something in particular about that part of the state which would cause Eugene to have such a different level of humidity than Portland?
Eugene and Portland both have very high *average* relative humidity; during the winter months the relative humidity in the afternoon is regularly over 80%. However, in the summer months, the average relative humidity plummets to below 40% (although mornings are still quite humid, but very cool).
But there's also a difference between relative humidity and absolute humidity. In Portland the average high temperatures in mid-summer reach about 26 or 27 degrees Celsius, which is cooler than most places in the US in the summer. Since cooler air can't transport as much moisture as warmer air, 40% relative humidity at 26 degrees means exponentially less moisture than 40% relative humidity at 40 degrees.
The Pacific Northwest is nonetheless more humid than the Southwest during the summer, but certainly less humid than the Eastern US.
chicago is an awesome place in the summer and although it can get humid in chicago sometimes, i don't know if it's as bad as new zealand. the chicago blues festival is from june 10-12. it's the largest free blues festival in the world. the taste of chicago is from june 24-july 3. the city's architecture is fantastic, the food is unrivaled, the magnificent mile has world class shopping, the city is walkable and has great public transportation, it has an amazing waterfront, and tons of blues clubs. it would be even nicer if you had a boat to go out on lake michigan.
Last edited by CelticGermanicPride; 04-24-2011 at 01:29 PM..
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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The North Woods: or anywhere North of a line drawn between Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit along I-94. Hit the cities and then go north for beautiful lakes and scenery (no mountains, but big-a$$ hills in Northern MN, WI, and MI.
For something small that is relatively close to a large city look into Laramie Wyoming. The drive down to Ft Collins and Denver is beautiful if you take Hwy 287. It does have a wind factor but there are beautiful areas to walk/hike and there is basically no humidity. The high in the summer is 90 for about a week, and the evenings cool off beautifully for a great nights sleep with the windows open. There are very few houses with a/c because of this. There are neat local artists that play in the coffee shops and such, and neat shops in the downtown area as well. Ft Collins is about an hour and a half drive, it has a neat downtown area as well with many shops etc. Laramie houses Wyoming state college but in the summer the majority of the college students leave, leaving everyone else with a nice quiet place to spend the summer. There are several nice little restaurants there also. I guess the best way to describe how you make Laramie is to take a little cowboy a bit of granola and throw in a sampling of professionals and you have a nice little ecclectic town with interesting people in it.
Milwaukee is a melting pot of many old cultures, and almost every week, there is a "summer Fest" going on associated with one culture or another, from Lithuanian to Philippino to Mexican. Of course, in Milwaukee, every summer has been a German and a Polish fest, for over a century. The 2-week-long Official "Summerfest" is billed as the world's largest music festival. The annual State Fair also takes place right in the center of the city.
Milwaukee has a cold climate and a short summer, so the people pack a lot of activity into the few warm months, which are never hot enough to require air conditioning. If you are looking for an urban lifestyle, Milwaukee has big city events without the crush of an enormous population. Milwaukeeans are loud and brash, blue-collar and progressive. It's an attractive city, with relatively few visible indicators of poverty or blight, and has an extensive (but cool) lakefront beach and park, running half the length of the city. Still with one of the lower crime rates. And only a couple hours drive from Chicago, America's second city. (They don't pronounce the L in Milwaukee, and often not the I, either.)
Last edited by jtur88; 05-06-2011 at 07:56 AM..
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