How hard is it to get throught the summer, really? (Tampa: neighborhood, living)

[Spring Hillian]

Let me get this straight. You live here though you hate the heat?
WHY?

Yeah, those rainstorms can be strong. They last about 15 minutes.
They cool the ground and the air. They cleanse the streets, it waters
the grass/plants/trees. It adds water to our aquifer. Love those summer storms.

Originally Posted by graphix

There's your first problem. The heat is unbearable even in the morning. We're talking about a place that can be 85 degrees at night. But then again I really cannot stand heat. In the winter we sleep with the fan on high and our heater is set to 66. Our AC is 76 at the highest—and that's only because we have a bungalow so it stays cooler from being off the ground. It drops to 74 at night. If there's anything I love to spend money on, it's AC. Luckily my wife can bear just enough cold to keep me happy. She can't stand the heat either, though she's always cold when it's "cold."

Right now is one of the worst winters since I was a kid. I love it. This is the first Christmas for about the last ten years where it wasn't hot. I swore that I'd take a tree to the beach this year if it happened again.

As for the heat, last summer I got out of my car at work and I seriously thought my car was on fire as the summer air hit my face. Granted I had the AC on full blast at my head before I got out and my car gets mighty cold but I checked under it just to be sure.

All that said, my opinion is about as helpful as your husband's. I feel sorry for him because he's going to absolutely hate Florida summers. I grew up here and I was going to move up north to get away from it but in the end I loved Tampa too much.

I'd definitely shovel snow in a t-shirt, though I've unfortunately never seen much of it. A few years ago I went swimming in January. When my wife and I went to NY, we went to the St. Patrick's day parade and I got so hot from walking that I was down to a T-shirt and jeans and native New Yorkers were standing around in coats looking like they were freezing. I think it was 38 outside. I mean really, it was only 38 not -10 or something. We ate lunch outside that day and people looked at us like we were crazy. It was too hot inside. Why do places up north turn the heat to like 90? We have coats and layers, I don't want to remove them as soon as I get inside. That's one barrier to moving up north. Perhaps there's something wrong with me? To tell you the truth, I've become better over the last few years. I can bear more heat now than I could when I was younger and had a faster metabolism!

Tell your husband I'm sorry. As an aside, there's plenty of people from Michigan down here for some reason. I know at least 3 or 4 people from Detroit alone.

One warning:
I imagine that driving in a snowstorm is pretty horrible. Still, I'd wager that driving in a Florida rain is much worse. A few years ago I was driving downtown on I-275 and a semi truck, no farther than 15-20 feet away, completely disappeared right in front of me. I looked into the next lane and I could barely see the car next to me. People frequently just pull off the road and attempt to wait it out. Buy some Rain-X. Trust me, you'll need it.

Most people don't experience rain the likes of which occur here. When I was in Ireland they were complaining about all the "rain." Their rain wasn't even a drizzle here. If you had a cup in your hand it'd take hours to fill. Here, if you walked to your car with a cup during a storm it'd be overflowing. I've never seen a rain that compares. You can even see it coming in a sheet. You can even smell it coming—I kid you not. My street becomes a river when it's really bad.

Anyway, I hope that, despite the horrible picture I've made, you like it here. I'm still here despite all of that. Sometimes I wonder why and then autumn and spring remind me, even though they only last about two weeks apiece! That's when the breezes usually come through. The rest of the summer, at least for the past few years, has just been dead heat.

[Spring Hillian]

I agree that summers in FL are no worse than summers else where.

Those lazy hazy crazy days of summer.


Happens in most of the world.

Originally Posted by Sunnydee

I don't think the summers in Tampa are any worse than the summers in Cincinnati. IMHO, the springs, winters, and falls in Tampa are glorious compared to those in the Midwest. I think after living in Michigan you will appreciate all that Tampa has to offer.

[algia]

More reasons than you'd imagine, please TRY not to assume that everyone on this planet has the luxury to live and work where they please....

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

Why would any one who cant handle heat/humidity in summer live in FL in the first place?

[Spring Hillian]

I don't think it is a luxury. Nothing in the world would keep me living in a place I could not tolerate. Simple as that. Life is too short to be unhappy, especially about where one lives.

Originally Posted by algia

More reasons than you'd imagine, please TRY not to assume that everyone on this planet has the luxury to live and work where they please....

[algia]

your opinion....and good for you...for some it is a luxury unfortunately...

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

I don't think it is a luxury. Nothing in the world would keep me living in a place I could not tolerate. Simple as that. Life is too short to be unhappy, especially about where one lives.

[Spring Hillian]

Well, thats a cryin shame, spending your whole life in a place you can't stand. I guess some people are more determined to make changes in their lives than others.

Originally Posted by algia

your opinion....and good for you...for some it is a luxury unfortunately...

[Spring Hillian]

Anybody who has an airconditioner that runs "all day and night" has:
1. A poorly insulated house.
2. Lousy windows that need to be replaced.
3. An inefficient malfunctioning a/c unit.

My system is always "On" however it only works when the temperature in the home goes above my preset desire of 79 degrees.

It certainly does not run all the time. Same with the heat. When the house gets too cold the thermostat turns the system on, brings it up to temperature and stops.

If someones windows are fogging up at 6 a.m. then they have an air infiltration problem. Too much moisture in the home. Try a de-humidifier.

Some people with chronic breathing disorders can have problems in the summer when the air is laden with moisture. I would think that would be a problem anywhere except the desert.

[Spring Hillian]

I think you will find a lot of MI people in FL. Rain X is great for the summer storms. Like you said, snowstorms last for hours (and the left overs arent easy to deal with either) however the rain comes, the rain goes and after an hour the streets are dry and except for a few small puddles here and there you would never know it rained.


You have to watch your outdoor pipes here in the Winter when the freezes come. Just cover it up with a blanket and they will be fine.
No need to electrically heat the pipes.

Enjoy!

Originally Posted by magijasakymaro

Really?? I've only met one other person from MI so far. It seems like most people are from NY, NJ, and Ontario. I haven't been here long though.

OK, I will get the Rain X. I did get dumped on a couple times so far. Once when I was driving over the causeway and suddenly literally could not see more than an inch in front of me. It was scary. I don't like rain like that. But I've also driven in lots of snowstorms where I could see just about as far, and it lasts for hours and hours on end.

So I guess it's a trade off. I know I won't like it, but I imagine I'll learn to live with it.

I'm surprised you have so much trouble tolerating the heat having grown up here! I always thought that would make heat much more preferable to cold. Interesting!




We've actually already had a pipe burst here. Well, it was broken when we moved in anyway. One of the outdoor pipes. It may have broken because of the cold.

Yep.

[nucat78]

Originally Posted by newguy101

ahhh, grew up in michigan the land of shorts and parkas.

Ummm, actually, I attended high school in Michigan and a friend of mine did wear shorts and parkas. At the same time.

[Spring Hillian]

Ruffians!

Originally Posted by nucat78

Ummm, actually, I attended high school in Michigan and a friend of mine did wear shorts and parkas. At the same time.