Tennessee Cold Versus Florida Cold? (Knoxville, Johnson City: house, living in, floors)

[Joe P]

In an attempt to settle a lengthy controversy I’ve been combating, I need some input from the Florida to Tennessee relocated contingency regarding cool to cold weather. To summarize;

It is my opinion, belief and conviction that the temperatures of Tennessee are relative, and that the level of comfort one experiences during said temperatures is comparable to considerably higher temperatures in Florida. For instance, I have long maintained that a 30 degree day in Tennessee is roughly the equivalent of a 50 or 55 degree day in Florida. I have a number of friends, well one actually, that can not be convinced that there is such thing as “relative temperature” and the collective input from the board might help me settle this controversy once and for all.

I have hypothesized that humidity adds a level of discomfort to the cold in Florida, much like it increases the level of discomfort during excessively hot periods of the year. I further contend that humidity exaggerates the cold weather to the point of mild to extreme discomfort, whereas the lack of humidity in Tennessee allows us to be relatively comfortable when the mercury plummets to 30 and 35.

Does anyone agree with this or have I utterly and completely lost my mind?

Thanks in advance,

Joe

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Joe P

In an attempt to settle a lengthy controversy I’ve been combating, I need some input from the Florida to Tennessee relocated contingency regarding cool to cold weather. To summarize;

It is my opinion, belief and conviction that the temperatures of Tennessee are relative, and that the level of comfort one experiences during said temperatures is comparable to considerably higher temperatures in Florida. For instance, I have long maintained that a 30 degree day in Tennessee is roughly the equivalent of a 50 or 55 degree day in Florida. I have a number of friends, well one actually, that can not be convinced that there is such thing as “relative temperature” and the collective input from the board might help me settle this controversy once and for all.

I have hypothesized that humidity adds a level of discomfort to the cold in Florida, much like it increases the level of discomfort during excessively hot periods of the year. I further contend that humidity exaggerates the cold weather to the point of mild to extreme discomfort, whereas the lack of humidity in Tennessee allows us to be relatively comfortable when the mercury plummets to 30 and 35.

Does anyone agree with this or have I utterly and completely lost my mind?

Thanks in advance,

Joe

Hey Joe, actually I agree with you. I've been to northern Quebec in the middle of winter, but the cold I experienced up there couldn't compare to how uncomfortably cold I was in Gainesville, Florida one winter. I think part of it is the fact that in colder climates homes are built to withstand cold weather, and we wear more appropriate clothing for cold weather.

I grew up in a house outside of Tampa that had one--ONE--wall heater for the entire house. And marble floors. There was just no escaping the cold.

And I think you're onto something. When it's cold and damp it just feels colder than when it's cold and dry.

[sal329]

I spend 22 years in NY/NJ, 3 years in FL and 2 months in TN. The weather here has been pretty good. Cold but not too cold until this week. Today with windchill it is 7 degrees. Thats a lot colder then any day I have seen in FL. In 3 years in FL I wore a fleece jacket 3 times. The other times a sweater a was all I ever needed.

[Joe P]

Originally Posted by sal329

I spend 22 years in NY/NJ, 3 years in FL and 2 months in TN. The weather here has been pretty good. Cold but not too cold until this week. Today with windchill it is 7 degrees. Thats a lot colder then any day I have seen in FL. In 3 years in FL I wore a fleece jacket 3 times. The other times a sweater a was all I ever needed.

Uh, thanks for that, but I wasn't talking about when it's 7 degrees out. Since there's no way I could campaign single digit temperatures as "relatively comfortable" I was referring more to the days when it's 30 to 35 as not being painfully bone chilling. When I was in Florida I died from 50 degrees and lower, yet here in Tennessee I'm comfortable when it's as low as 35.

So far I'm tied at 1 vote each and it will be ego shattering if I lose this argument to a girl...any other opinions?

Joe

[utvolsfan13]

Totally agree. I lived in Colorado a couple years ago. It would consistently get down to 20 and you'd feel comfortable outside. The dry cold air feels much warmer than wet cold. I climbed House Mountain near Knoxville last week. It was probably 40 outside but my hands went numb. It was very humid on the mountain and it made it feel ridiculously cold.

[Queen1972]

Uh, I don't know if I can agree with that, I did live in Florida, and I think the factor that made it feel colder was the wind chill. I live in MN right now where it gets down to 20-30 below zero and there is no humidity. Its dryer than ----. Even thought the actual temp might be single digits, the wind chill knocks it way down and humidity isn't involved. I am relocating to TN and can't wait for the milder temps!

[mbmouse]

I know what you mean. I always assumed it had to do with "thinner/thicker blood" hahahhaha But what I mean is that I grew up in CT (great white North) and spent 11 years in FL and 10 years here in East TN.....YES, I WAS colder to the bone when the temp went down to the 50's or so in FL, but don't feel it to the bone when it gets to 35-30 here. I actually debate weather I really need the heavier coat or not (Maybe that is why I have been down with the flu for the better part of two weeks??) I know the thicker/thinner blood thing is an old wives tail and not scientific by any means but a good explanation in my book as I have no way to explain it either. hahahahhha
I also know that went I was a kid I would spend hours and hours out playing in the snow drifts and ice skating on the windy frozen lake all bundled up and loved every minute of it, the cold didn't bother me. Now when there is 2 inches of snow here in East TN and I bundle up with the kids to go out an play in it, about 30 minutes of Mom playing too is about all they get, I am back in the house with the coffee brewing and lighting the fire place LOL!!!
I guess it is part of getting older????

[jkmewright]

I can't relate to the weather in Florida but I agree that humidity does play a factor in temperature "comfort" levels. I lived in SD and when it was cold it was cold but not as biting as cold here in TN at the same temp. On the hot side, 70 degrees in Oregon is much cooler than 70 in TN .... humidity again. Returning from OR, I got off the plane in Atlanta and almost fell down as the hot sticky air hit my face.

[Joss]

Sorry but I disagree. The weather patterns for the individual cities at City-Data.com say that most all of Florida has 90% humidity on winter mornings (Dec, Jan, Feb) and 60% in the afternoons. Johnson City has 80% in the mornings and 60% in the afternoons. I'd like to call the 10% difference in the mornings as "minor" and barely able to be felt - let alone enough to cause the sense of a major difference.

Really, though, I think the big factor is more the personal perception of how cold it should or should NOT be, based on where a person is, and whether you are dressed for it.

On top of that, I think that greater humidity tends to make colder weather less cold rather than more cold. For what it's worth, humidity makes hot weather "hotter" because it minimizes the cooling effect of evaporation of your skin. You sweat but it just doesn't do much good. In cold weather cooling from evaporation would make you even colder.

Aside from that, my personal experience in Savannah is that on the rare DRY winter morning, I feel like it is colder - at the same temp it was the day before when it was humid. A quick look at the thermometer says "no" though.

[hiknapster]

I don't agree, either. I have always felt that moisture in the air makes it warmer, no matter how cold it is. That's why it felt warmer when it snowed up north. No snow and it was bone chilling cold. The wind doen't help, either. It cuts right through you.

I don't know if your blood get thinner but your body definitely reacts to what it is use to. That's why someone from Pennsylvania can have heat and humidity in the summer but travel to south Florida and they feel like they are going to die! Their body is just not use to it.

That's why we spent the last two summers here, after living in south Florida for ten years, thinking that it is not that hot. We are just use to brutal heat! After this cold winter, I bet we feel the heat like the locals this summer.