What is more important to you: Daytime highs or Nightime lows? (climate, snow)

[cjg5]

When looking at a climate, are you more concerned with what the high is, or what the low is, or do you take both into consideration evenly?

I find that I tend to focus more on the highs than the lows. After all, I am more likely to be spending time outdoors during the daylight hours when temperatures are warmer, than I am during the nighttime hours, when temperatures are cooler. If, say, a month averaged 65/30 for example, I would still consider it to be late spring/early summer more than anything else, despite the subfreezing nights.

If a month in the dead of summer had freezing or close to freezing nights with a daytime high in the 70s or 80s, it would be pretty annoying for sure (and I would miss warm nights), and it would NOT get an A grade from me, and probably not even a B grade, but I would still consider it a summer month and be out enjoying the nice heat of the summer day.

Just curious what the thoughts of the rest of you are.

[AdriannaSmiling]

About evenly as there is a diurnal range of up to 30 F here. I take my dog for along AM walk around 7AM (when the nightime lows occur) as well as get out during the day every day.

[patrix542]

daytime highs, im asleep or at home during night so i dont really care

[Hawaii4evr]

Daytime highs. Although I love warm nights, i can take cool nights because I am not outside then, and I can open the window for fresh air while I sleep.

[Patricius Maximus]

I focus more on nighttime lows in summer and more on daytime highs in winter.

For summer I'd take a 100/50F average over a 80/65F average despite the fact that the 100/50F average is hotter, because the nights are much cooler, and nights are more important than days to my sleeping and health during summer conditions.

For winter, highs are more important, because of the time spent above freezing and thus the potential for snowmelt. I would take a 29/24F average over a 39/9F average despite the fact the 29/24F average is milder, because the 39/9F average features daily thawing, whereas the 29/24F average averages more time below freezing. This mainly applies to situations close to the freezing point. With averages around 0F or so, daily lows become as important as daily highs.

[ilovemycomputer90]

Daytime highs for the most part, but nighttime lows are important during the summer.

[cjg5]

Some very good points! 65F would probably be my maximum limit for an average overnight low, if not a degree of two less, so 65F or more for a low would certainly grab my attention. (But an average high of 100+ would ALSO quite certainly grab my attention in a bad way. 90 would be about my upper limit on that one).

[memph]

Originally Posted by Patricius Maximus

I focus more on nighttime lows in summer and more on daytime highs in winter.

For summer I'd take a 100/50F average over a 80/65F average despite the fact that the 100/50F average is hotter, because the nights are much cooler, and nights are more important than days to my sleeping and health during summer conditions.

For winter, highs are more important, because of the time spent above freezing and thus the potential for snowmelt. I would take a 29/24F average over a 39/9F average despite the fact the 29/24F average is milder, because the 39/9F average features daily thawing, whereas the 29/24F average averages more time below freezing. This mainly applies to situations close to the freezing point. With averages around 0F or so, daily lows become as important as daily highs.

You're pretty much the opposite of me...

I would say that 80/65F is better because 65F is cool enough to sleep if I open the window at night, but 50F is too cold. Plus 80F is still not too hot to go outside and be active, even if it's not ideal for running a marathon, however, 100F means you basically won't want to go out during the day and I like to soak up sunshine.

39/9F means freeze/thaw cycle and ice, which I don't like. However, I like snow, so 29/24F is good, and still fine if wearing a coat, and not too cold for salt to melt snow/ice off the roads (although I rarely drive these days). 39F is still far from warm and feels like winter to me so I don't see much of a benefit over 29F. 29/24F is more or less the weather we had here for the last 3 days, which is when I decided to get back to doing the 5-10 minute bike ride to university.

I mostly pay attention to the highs, although lows matter too, like in mid-summer when I'm trying to figure out how much my room will cool down at night if I open the window, and if I have to walk to university in the early morning/late night I would want to make sure I dress according to that and not the daytime high. In the spring though, I mostly want to know if I will be able to enjoy some warm weather, even if just for a few hours.

[nei]

Originally Posted by memph

I would say that 80/65F is better because 65F is cool enough to sleep if I open the window at night, but 50F is too cold. Plus 80F is still not too hot to go outside and be active, even if it's not ideal for running a marathon, however, 100F means you basically won't want to go out during the day and I like to soak up sunshine.

At least here (dunno about Toronto) a low of 65°F means at bedtime will be quite a bit warmer than 65°F, could 5°F, even 10°F. Depending on house layout, a room with windows open overnight can still be comfortably warm with an overnight low of 50°F (depends on personal taste of course).

[nei]

As for me, I care about highs more, though lows almost as much in summer for indoor cooling concerns without A/C (and it also is a good humidity indicator). Spring / fall I care about lows somewhat because I don't like frosts shortening the growing season.