How unbearable are the summers? (Kansas City, St. Louis: allergies, mold, car)

[SouthCity09]

I thought today was a great day...perfect weather for some evening BBQ..around 6pm was great

[AJohnston_STL]

Originally Posted by SouthCity09

I thought today was a great day...perfect weather for some evening BBQ..around 6pm was great

I still wish I could be outside.

[suziq999]

I moved here from 6 years in Houston (this is my first summer) and I LOVE it so far. Other than last week's heat wave, we have still been having dinner out on the porch. It is SO much better than Houston.

[jlawrence01]

If you are coming from Texas, you will find the St. Louis summers to be a lot better. For those coming from other parts of the midwest, the summers are some of the worst you will experience. Air conditioning is almost a necessity (although we never had it in eight years).

[RichMonk]

Having lived in Chicago for a couple years I now long for the STL winters. I wouldn't mind a little more heat in the summer. Today's high in Chicago was like 62...yuck, though last week was great with temps in the upper 80s. AFAIK the best seasonal weather can be found along the middle East Coast.

After looking at some of the fine data here on City-Data I see that places like Washington D.C. have good warm summers and winters that just get cold enough. Also, the humidity there is often average (national average) or even below average during the summer.

I grew up with hot summers in KS where it is not quite as humid and that humidity near the Mississippi can really get to you. I also find the STL winters to be a bit milder than some other places. More snowy than the ice storms of KC, though STL is not w/o its occasional ice storm. In case you didn't know...a mild ice storm is way worse than even a moderate snow storm.

IMO, STL summers are not completely unbearable. The midday can be pretty oppressive but many a late afternoon can be pleasant with a fan to keep the humidity off of you. Though, this is all relative to each person, and considering where you are coming from I think you will adjust fine to the summer, however, I think you might be a little startled by the winter months.

[momgag]

<however, I think you might be a little startled by the winter months>>

The biggest shock will be that the whole city doesn't come to a grinding halt with every dusting of snow or ice, like it does down here! :>)

[Central Illinois 1]

STL summers are great overall. There are a few oppressively hot, humid days during July and August usually. But, overall, I would say that, on most summer days, the average high is around 85-90 and nightly lows around 60-65. A humidity level of about 70% is pretty common. It is definitely sunny most of the time during the summer. You don't get as much in the way of the thick hazy skies like you get further south during the summer and you don't have to worry about any fog or marine layer that keep things overcast in the summer either (since these is no ocean anywhere near STL). So, overall, summers in STL are not too bad and definitely not as bad as alot of parts of Texas. Winters are relatively mild in STL (in comparison with cities farther north like Chicago, Cleveland, or Milwaukee) but certainly colder and snowier than most parts of Texas.

[Orwelleaut]

Visited St. Louis in late May from Northern Ohio, and found the temps to be very comfortable, highs in the 70's, and nice, cool overnight lows. The temps were a little warmer than up by the Great Lakes, but still pretty comfortable. They were getting into the upper 80's in early June, though, which sounds pretty hot to me, humidity or noAnything over 85 is nice for swimming, but uncomfortable for anything else, IMHO. I'm always amazed at how Southerners talk about upper 80's as comfortable. To this Northern Ohio boy, upper 80's either feels like a sweat box (with humidity), or being baked to death (dry heat). I can't imagine how anyone can endure more than a day or two at temps above 90!!

[momgag]

Originally Posted by Orwelleaut

I'm always amazed at how Southerners talk about upper 80's as comfortable.

Had to laugh at this one...today here in Texas we had temps in the upper 80s, and it was such a relief! Yesterday on the Fourth, when we were over 100 again, I kept thinking, "Wow, in some parts of the country, people can actually have some fun outside on the 4th of July!!!"

[DeBaliviere]

The summers here really aren't all that bad. June is usually pretty nice, and then there are some hot/muggy periods throughout July and August, but that's it. The fall is so gorgeous that it's worth it!