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I looked up "Most Humid Cities" recently and I found a list with not only the usual suspects like Houston, and New Orleans in the South, but also Seattle and Portland in the Northwest, and San Francisco in California.
While I haven't yet been to the South, I did visit Boston and New York City years ago in the monh of July and I remember the experience of my clothes sticking to my body. However, I also traveled through Oregon up to Seattle one summer and it was very hot (I was surprised how hot) but it didn't feel as sticky.
Anyway, if New York and Portland for example had a day with the exact same heat and humidity, would other conditions make it feel different?
I live in Southern California, and we've been having some high heat waves and we've had a few that included some humidity as well, although I suspect some folks from other parts of the country would laugh at our humidity and call us wimps?
The humidity may be as high or higher, but the dew points will tend to be much lower there. Here in England it's very humid all year round, but our dew points very rarely exceed 70F. The US north east has similar humidity but with the much warmer air over the land, as well as the warm ocean so the dew points tend to be pretty high during summer.
I imagine the Ocean temperature is the difference with how sticky it is between the North West and North East? Please correct me if I'm wrong
The same relative humidity for 90F and 60F will produce very different feels to the air, and that's because dew point is a far better measure of human comfort and reaction than relative humidity. 52% humidity for 90F yields a dew point of 72F, which is quite muggy, whereas 52% R.H. for 70F yields a dew point of 52F, which is a lot drier than 72F and is neutral instead of muggy.
Use dew point, not relative humidity. The feeling of humidity with a dew point of 70F will be pretty much the same if the temperature is 80F or 110F.
I think there is. But its not humidity its more temperature and the humidity's affect on that temperature. For example 5c and high humidity feels cold to me where as 18c and high humidity feels hot. Not sure what the reason for that is but its weird.
Living in both the very far south and the NE I can tel you yes I think there is. Our humidity in the south here is very oppressive combined with very high heat. Its beyond sticky and smothering to the point you can't breath when you go out. You cant cool your car down and it doesn't let up during the night . In the NE the humidity was there but never got to the oppressive point it does down here. To them sure it probably felt like it but I could feel a huge difference. I would think places like San Fran and Oregon's humidity would due to the large amounts of rain and fog they seem to have as opposed to actual heat.
Relative humidity means that the humidity is relative to the current temperature. Converting your RH to a dew point will give a better comparison to areas elsewhere. The more humidity in the air, the slower the rate of heat loss away from the body This applies whether the temperature is 30C/86F, or 0C/32F
Living in both the very far south and the NE I can tel you yes I think there is. Our humidity in the south here is very oppressive combined with very high heat. Its beyond sticky and smothering to the point you can't breath when you go out. You cant cool your car down and it doesn't let up during the night . In the NE the humidity was there but never got to the oppressive point it does down here. To them sure it probably felt like it but I could feel a huge difference. I would think places like San Fran and Oregon's humidity would due to the large amounts of rain and fog they seem to have as opposed to actual heat.
Sweetbottoms,
I have a question about the humidity in the south, and it also pertains to my original question...
My aunt and uncle live in Houston and want us to visit, but I'm wary about the humidity there as opposed to other areas, especially since I've heard it's pretty much year round, but really brutal in the summer. (I wouldn't even attempt summer!)
Since I'm asthmatic, the thought of not being able to breath is intimidating. (I became asthmatic as an adult years after my trip to Boston BTW, and had no breathing issues there)
Next May we have friends who are getting married in Maryland, and would like us to be there. We're thinking of doing a duel trip and visiting my relatives in Houston with a side trip to New Orleans, then taking a train up to Maryland for the wedding. Is the south really bad by May? (I'm thinking it will be warm in Maryland too, but not as humid?) Could you tell me what the most comfortable month is to visit the south that doesn't include tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding? LOL! I just realized I'm southaphobic weather wise!
BTW, my asthma isn't severe, but can act up with barometric pressures and I'll need my inhaler more often when that happens. I'd also talk to my doctor about taking any other preventative measures or medications.
High humidity below 14-15°C makes temperatures feel colder to me personally, but when it's 17-18°C or warmer it feels warmer.
My turning point is closer to 55F. It should be noted that to the vast majority of people high humidity at near-freezing temperatures cause a colder feeling and high humidity at 90F causes a hotter feeling. The turning point in-between varies a bit, but is usually between 55F and 70F.
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