Why do people say Houston's weather is so bad? (Dallas: layoffs, to buy)

[ahzzie]

The humidity is intense everywhere in the southern part of the country and the east coast.

[DanielWayne]

Yes humidity is intense all over the south. I thought I read it was 110 in Memphis last week (heat index).

I think we can all find things to whine about concerning any city in the US. I am content living in Houston where there are jobs, big city culture, and affordable housing.

[rogerbacon]

I moved here from Miami last month and I think the weather here is a bit better. It is not as humid and the heat seems less oppressive. I understand it gets colder in the winter though so I'll hold off on deciding which city's weather is better until after winter.

[stoneclaw]

Originally Posted by rogerbacon

I moved here from Miami last month and I think the weather here is a bit better. It is not as humid and the heat seems less oppressive. I understand it gets colder in the winter though so I'll hold off on deciding which city's weather is better until after winter.

I'm surprised to hear this. Alot of people from Miami usually claim of a breeze to cool you off which makes it better than Houston. But then again, people will downplay the negatives of their city.

[alidoremi]

Originally Posted by Texascrude

I actually haven't found the summers here to be all that bad... I think most people are just a bunch of whiners. Go live in Phoenix for a few summers and you'll know what hot is. I'll take 95 and humid over 115 and dry any day.

Oh wow, that's just the opposite of my thinking. We lived in Houston for 13 years, then in Bakersfield, CA for 20 years.

I would take the dry heat any day over Houston's 95 degrees + 100% humidity (and the cool down in the evenings is in the 80's). Although, in fairness, 105 anywhere, hot is HOT. But at least in other cities the heat doesn't last quite as long as in Houston. I remember having to turn on the AC in Houston near the end of March, and it ran until the end of October, sometimes into November. I think in other parts of Texas it's not that bad.

[Texascrude]

Originally Posted by SoonerGirl67

I'm assuming you lived in Phoenix? I'm curious how you find living in Houston compared to Phoenix (weather-wise and any other ways you care to comment on).

I posted something on your other thread for more details, but I prefer Houston. I really miss the mountains out West, but that's about it. Weather wise -- you'll get used to the humidity (to some extent -- you never really get used to getting sticky in the summers, but your body will adapt).

The once place in Arizona that i'd consider moving to in the future is Flagstaff. Beautiful city.

This isn't intended to sound political or racist or anything of the sort, but I really think that the illegal immigrant problem has ruined the city of Phoenix. There's a reason why almost every non-hispanic person in the state supports a law as drastic as the one they passed.

[blkgiraffe]

Originally Posted by stoneclaw

I'm surprised to hear this. Alot of people from Miami usually claim of a breeze to cool you off which makes it better than Houston. But then again, people will downplay the negatives of their city.

Yeah; Miami does offer a breeze when you're in some areas, but it's still hot as hell. Dallas weather affects me more because the sky is usually still; which means no wind, the sun beams right down on you giving you massive headaches and draining you completely.

You won't find amazing weather till you head farther west into west texas. Dallas does feel drier and sometimes I don't even sweat when it's hot up there, but it affects my health more. My mom passed out once up there when we were at Sixflags; that has never happened to her in Houston and we always outside during the summer there.

[Texascrude]

Originally Posted by alidoremi

Oh wow, that's just the opposite of my thinking. We lived in Houston for 13 years, then in Bakersfield, CA for 20 years.

I would take the dry heat any day over Houston's 95 degrees + 100% humidity (and the cool down in the evenings is in the 80's). Although, in fairness, 105 anywhere, hot is HOT. But at least in other cities the heat doesn't last quite as long as in Houston. I remember having to turn on the AC in Houston near the end of March, and it ran until the end of October, sometimes into November. I think in other parts of Texas it's not that bad.

I guess it depends on what you want to do. The other day, I took my daughter to the park here. It was hot.. and i got sweaty... but she could still play on the equipment without getting burn marks on her body. You literally could not do that when its 115 outside -- the stuff just gets too hot.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by Texascrude

I actually haven't found the summers here to be all that bad... I think most people are just a bunch of whiners. Go live in Phoenix for a few summers and you'll know what hot is. I'll take 95 and humid over 115 and dry any day.

I think they are whiners too. I lived in Houston for 6 years then San Antonio for 4, and I can tell you it is no different. In fact the last summer in San Antonio was the worst thing I have encountered in my life with about 60 days spent over 100 degrees (and then add on the humidity).

Originally Posted by ahzzie

The humidity is intense everywhere in the southern part of the country and the east coast.

I second that.

When heat and humidity is factored in, there are many cities ranked worse than Houston, but it is Houston that always gets the flack:

10 hottest cities
Average annual temperature, F
entire 50 state rank

1. Key West, Florida 77.7
2. Miami, Florida 75.6
3. W Palm Beach, Florida 74.6
4. Ft. Myers, Florida 73.9
5. Yuma, Arizona 73.9
6. Brownsville, Texas 73.6
7. Orlando, Florida 72.4
8. Vero Beach, Florida 72.4
9. Corpus Christi, Texas 72.1
10. Tampa, Florida 72.0

10 most uncomfortable
cities
Avg combination of summer heat and humidity

1. Phoenix, Arizona
2. Corpus Christi, Texas
3. San Antonio, Texas
4. Dallas, Texas
5. West Palm Beach, Florida
6. Miami, Florida
7. Waco, Texas
8. Houston, Texas
9. Montgomery, Alabama
10. New Orleans, Louisiana
Interesting United States Weather Facts and Extremes

We get called out for humidity all the time, but we are not even the worst:

10 most humid cities:
Avg relative humidity in %

1. Quillayute, Washington 83.0
2. Olympia, Washington 78.0
3. Port Arthur, Texas 77.5
4. Lake Charles, Louisiana 77.0
5. Apalachicola, Florida 76.5
6. Gainesville, Florida 76.5
7. Corpus Christi, Texas 76.0
8. Eugene, Oregon 75.5
9. New Orleans, Louisiana 75.5
10. Houston, Texas 75.0

We get a ton of flack for Hurricanes:

Top 10 Tropical storm / Hurricane prone cities
Avg # of years with no storm. Totals based on data from 1871- 2007, hitting within 60 miles of city

1. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina 2.49
2. Delray Beach, Florida 2.54
3. Hollywood, Florida 2.58
4. Deerfield Beach, Florida 2.58
5. Boca Raton, Florida 2.58
6. Florida City, Florida 2.63
7. Grand Isle, Louisiana 2.63
8. Ft. Pierce, Florida 2.69
9. Miami, Florida 2.69
10. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 2.69


We even get the tornadoes are spun off the Hurricane flack:

Top 10 Tornado prone cities
Ranked by tornadoes per 1,000 miles

1. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2. Tulsa, Oklahoma
3. Dallas - Ft. Worth, Texas
4. Wichita, Kansas
5. Springfield, Missouri
6. Kansas City, Kansas / Missouri
7. Ft. Smith, Arkansas
8. Little Rock, Arkansas
9. Jackson, Mississippi
10. Birmingham, Alabama

We get hit because of our rain:

10 rainiest cities
Number of days per year with rain

1. Hilo, Hawaii 277
2. Quillayute, Washington 210
3. Astoria, Oregon 191
4. Elkins, West Virginia 171
5. Syracuse, New York 171
6. Buffalo, New York 169
7. Marquette, Michigan 168
8. Sault Ste Marie, Michigan 166
9. Erie, Pennsylvania 165
10. Binghamton, New York 162

10 least rainiest cities
Number of days per year with rain

1. Yuma, Arizona 17
2. Las Vegas, Nevada 26
3. Bishop, California 29
4. Santa Barbara, California 30
5. Long Beach, California 32
6. Los Angeles, California 35
7. Great Falls, Montana 35
8. Phoenix, Arizona 36
9. Bakersfield, California 37
10. San Diego, California 42

We get called out on our air:

Top 10 dirty air cities
Based on long-term particle pollution

1. Los Angeles, California
2. Bakersfield, California
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4. Visalia, California
5. Fresno, California
6. Detroit, Michigan
7. Hanford, California
8. Cleveland, Ohio
9. Atlanta, Georgia
10. Chicago, Illinois

So I guess most of the flack comes from people who just have an axe to grind or people who are just repeating what a friend of a friend's friend said to them

[citizen_jane]

This summer hasn't been as bad as some in the past. In fact, last night my husband and I went on an hour long bike ride starting around 7:30 and it was very nice. Of course that was on a paved bike trail snaking through a lot of shade. Point is, it was nice and we saw a lot of other people out too.