Dry Humidity? In Odessa? (Midland, West: real estate, home, to buy)

[jcsm]

I don't get it. I have spoken to several people in Odessa/Midland and everyone wants to tell me "the weather is DRY, dry humidity, dry heat". I continue to watch the weather on the Internet and I see high humidity and even higher dew point. How on earth can that be dry? I live in a very humid place and want to escape this wetness. Can anyone explain this to me?

[Lucidus]

Originally Posted by jcsm

I don't get it. I have spoken to several people in Odessa/Midland and everyone wants to tell me "the weather is DRY, dry humidity, dry heat". I continue to watch the weather on the Internet and I see high humidity and even higher dew point. How on earth can that be dry? I live in a very humid place and want to escape this wetness. Can anyone explain this to me?

Well, usually the weather is very dry during the summer. It usually gets hot, 100+ degrees, but the humidity is usually very low.

Notice that I said "usually" a lot.

This year has been exceptional as far as weather is concerned. It has been very humid with frequent rainfall. But it has not been very hot. We have had only two days above 100 degrees so far this summer and most days have only been in the 80's.

So if you are looking to escape from the humidity, M/O will still be a good choice because this current weather pattern will probably not last long.

[shady12]

It's been EXTREMELY rainy all over TX relative to how it usually is. Many places met their annual rainfall mark in the first half of the year. Been a VERY unusual year for weather and it's a huge anomaly especially in West Texas.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by jcsm

I don't get it. I have spoken to several people in Odessa/Midland and everyone wants to tell me "the weather is DRY, dry humidity, dry heat". I continue to watch the weather on the Internet and I see high humidity and even higher dew point. How on earth can that be dry? I live in a very humid place and want to escape this wetness. Can anyone explain this to me?

As the others have noted, this summer has been VERY unusual for the area.
M/O average annual rainfall in a good year is between 12-14 inches. We were already at about 15 inches at the end of JUNE...and since it rained a few more gullywashers since then, there is no telling what it is now.

This is NOT typical. I have enjoyed the cooler temps, but I hate the humidity. We have needed this extra rain so badly for so many years, because we have had several years running of 5-10 inches a year, which is a very long drought. Lake and area reservoir levels have been at historic lows until the last couple of years. People with country property to the west with wells have had difficulty even getting enough water for basic uses, let alone watering yards and doing laundry!! But I'm sure that situation has improved a bit since then. My cousins recently moved here, and bought country property 24 miles to the east, and their wells are great, so....

I grew up in WT...125 miles from where I now live in Midland...and I have NEVER seen the country look this good, ever. Texas statewide has had much higher levels of precipitation, not just WT.

So.....we will enjoy the rain while we get it, because it can be a very long, long time between some years.

And yes, M/O IS TYPICALLY a dry heat, especially compared to the rest of the state.

[jcsm]

Thank you for all the up lifting information. I still have a few questions on flood area. I was seeing where Midland got hit extremely hard and had a lot of areas that had flooded. I certainly would hate to buy a home and find out it is in a flood area or has been damaged in the past by a flood, since we have seriously bad allergies to mold. Do you know which areas of Odessa a person should stay away from.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by jcsm

Thank you for all the up lifting information. I still have a few questions on flood area. I was seeing where Midland got hit extremely hard and had a lot of areas that had flooded. I certainly would hate to buy a home and find out it is in a flood area or has been damaged in the past by a flood, since we have seriously bad allergies to mold. Do you know which areas of Odessa a person should stay away from.

In Texas Real Estate transactions, a seller is required to disclose past flooding/standing water/drainage in the Seller's Disclosure form that is presented at the time (or shortly thereafter, depending on which box is checked in that section) with a contract. You can also look at floodplain maps...and MOST importantly, ASK QUESTIONS--the agent you will be working with (and I cannot stress enough that you DO need one), neighbors in the area, and just people who live there.

Midland did have heavy flooding on the east side of town Friday, but then it has always had some problems from time to time in some areas. As for Odessa, I don't know.

[Lucidus]

Odessa problem areas:

Dixie and 42nd street
Tom Green ave
Muskingum ave
All of Sunset Hieghts

There may be more, but those are the ones I know of. In Midland there is the famous "Rio Wadley".

[jcsm]

This has been a lot of important information. I want to thank everyone who has answered me. With out this site, I would not be able to find out what I have needed nor would I be able to talk to such wonderful people. Thanks again.