Challenge: No AC this entire summer! (dangerous, dryer, yard)

[Threestep2]

Well, Jester is just tougher than most locals.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by MrJester

OKC has more of a dry heat than East Texas, right?

There is no doubt that central and western Oklahoma are "less humid" than east Texas. Western Oklahoma by a lot. By the time you get to the Oklahoma panhandle it is basically just dry weather. The one good thing about Oklahoma City is that when it gets over 100 degrees is that it dries up significantly. And there is effectively no tornado risk.

If the temperatures are in the high 80s or low 90s at any point in the summer it is likely that the humidity will be worse and the possibility of virulent weather is present. When temps are 95 to 100 it's more of a mixed bag. It can be humid or dry.

[saibot]

Originally Posted by MrJester

You were just lucky to be there during one of the warm spells, which happens every winter.

The year before, we were there during a cold spell, when it got down to single digits at night.

But I'm not basing my opinion on my brief visits. My sister, who has lived there for eight years (not a lifetime, but considerably longer than one year!) remarked on the mildness of the last winter, and I also looked up statistical averages.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by MrJester

At my apartment in Mustang, I have not used AC this entire week, even though the heat index has reached 100, with the currently humid heat. (Dew points exceeded 70). Nights have been warm outside, lows are at 73 - 74. Not once did the AC kick on, though. I have drawn all the blinds, wear shorts and leggings inside, and the indoor temperature is constant at 74 degrees, without the AC kicking on.

I live on a first floor, East facing apartment. The overhang from the balcony above me provides shade.

So far, OKC weather has been a walk in the park. No problem sleeping during the warm nights, even with a blanket. If it gets warmer during the night, I'll just sleep without a blanket and leggings.

I live in North Dakota and can't go a summer without air conditioning. I couldn't make it in Oklahoma that's for sure!

[Threestep2]

Yesterday afternoon the power company took us off the grid for almost two hours. Co-op members opt to go on generator during peak usage to keep purchasing of power down.

[MrJester]

Originally Posted by saibot

The year before, we were there during a cold spell, when it got down to single digits at night.

But I'm not basing my opinion on my brief visits. My sister, who has lived there for eight years (not a lifetime, but considerably longer than one year!) remarked on the mildness of the last winter, and I also looked up statistical averages.

Like I said, I acknowledge that December was warmer than average, but February was actually a bit below average. And not once in February did the indoor temp in my apartment go below 60, even without heating. By your standards of "you don't need heating at my house in the winter if you're OK with 60 degrees indoor temps", you definitely did not need heating the whole February in my apartment in OKC. Which is not saying that February in OKC is mild. It's saying that it's not as cold as the Upper Midwest, and it's also saying that you are just incredibly tolerant of the cold and could live in many places without heating so long as the insulation is decent. And I live on a first floor, East facing apartment, which is basically the coldest part of a building.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clim..._Oklahoma_City

This Wikipedia page shows that February 2020 had an avg high of 11.7 C and avg low of -1.0 C. Which is a bit colder than the 1981-2010 thirty year February average high/low of 12.6/0.4 C.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by MrJester

Like I said, I acknowledge that December was warmer than average, but February was actually a bit below average. And not once in February did the indoor temp in my apartment go below 60, even without heating. By your standards of "you don't need heating at my house in the winter if you're OK with 60 degrees indoor temps", you definitely did not need heating the whole February in my apartment in OKC. Which is not saying that February in OKC is mild. It's saying that it's not as cold as the Upper Midwest, and it's also saying that you are just incredibly tolerant of the cold and could live in many places without heating so long as the insulation is decent. And I live on a first floor, East facing apartment, which is basically the coldest part of a building.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clim..._Oklahoma_City

This Wikipedia page shows that February 2020 had an avg high of 11.7 C and avg low of -1.0 C. Which is a bit colder than the 1981-2010 thirty year February average high/low of 12.6/0.4 C.

Last February we had seven days where the high was below 40 degrees with the lowest high being 30 degrees. Meanwhile we had eleven days that were 60 degrees or higher. 11 days highs were in the 40s and 50s. IMO that is a little bit milder than a typical February.

I would consider that a little bit milder than usual. The severity of the cold pretty much always depends on how many arctic fronts come down, whether they get down to Oklahoma, and how long they stay. If we get a really frigid one it can be between 0-10 degrees for up to a couple of weeks. And that can happen anywhere between about mid November to late March.

Fortunately it doesn't happen very often.

[dontbelievehim]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Last February we had seven days where the high was below 40 degrees with the lowest high being 30 degrees. Meanwhile we had eleven days that were 60 degrees or higher. 11 days highs were in the 40s and 50s. IMO that is a little bit milder than a typical February.

I would consider that a little bit milder than usual. The severity of the cold pretty much always depends on how many arctic fronts come down, whether they get down to Oklahoma, and how long they stay. If we get a really frigid one it can be between 0-10 degrees for up to a couple of weeks. And that can happen anywhere between about mid November to late March.

Fortunately it doesn't happen very often.

Has this summer been windier than average for OKC?
Jester has been jumping up and down because of how windy OKC has been this summer, but I don't remember seeing much summer wind the previous two years(OKC is one of the cities I periodically check the weather for).

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

Has this summer been windier than average for OKC?
Jester has been jumping up and down because of how windy OKC has been this summer, but I don't remember seeing much summer wind the previous two years(OKC is one of the cities I periodically check the weather for).

I don't really know. Part of my problem is that I live at the bottom of a hill by a creek. On the other side of the creek there is a huge embankment. So I don't get much wind here even if it is actually windy. In general summers aren't near as windy as spring and winter.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

Has this summer been windier than average for OKC?
Jester has been jumping up and down because of how windy OKC has been this summer, but I don't remember seeing much summer wind the previous two years(OKC is one of the cities I periodically check the weather for).

Somewhat cooler and wetter than the other Summer's we have been here. A couple of major storms with extremely high winds.
OKCO5 gives 15 mph for today and heat index of 105-110 for part of this week from OKC to Stillwater.