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This expression drive me nuts until I moved to a very humid state. It's 90 degrees with extremely high humidity it is hard to breathe. You get out of the shower and sweat again.
I agree, I do not like humid heat, I feel like I'm being slowly cooked...(I'm glad though that
it's comfortable for some people who live in those areas)....I live in "dry" Colorado heat....
where it will hit 100 again sometime this week...still uncomfortably hot.
Another thing is that dry heat tends to mean more direct sunlight, which is also an aggravating factor when considering the "feels" of a hot summer day.
This. Lately, I've noticed that the amount of sunlight has a bigger impact on how hot it feels than humidity.
I think the phrase has merit. A dry heat is much more comfortable than humid heat. Granted it can still be uncomfortable if it's really hot and you're in direct sunlight. But I find dry days to be far more tolerable.
I live in MD, have spent time in the summer in LA visiting family.
One time we hit the outlet malls out there, and it was nearly 100 degrees. It was hot for sure, but didn't feel nearly as bad as that temperature would have in Maryland. Here in the summer time, 90+ pretty much means stay indoors.
It only irritates me a little bit because I know it's coming from a place of ignorance when people say that.
Here's another one I hear in Palm Springs and in Phoenix: "It's more humid here now than it used to be 30 years ago because of all the backyard pools."
I was in Phoenix a few years ago in September. Never been out west before. Noticed that it wasn't too bad, at first, to be outside in 100+ degree temps.
But after 10 or 15 minutes, my mouth would get incredibly dry. It catches up to you.
It was also intensely bright outside, something I've never dealt with, even compared to Florida.
The statement indeed holds true if you compare two locations with the same temperature of different dewpoints.
95F in Florida with a dewpoint of 70F or 95F in Utah with a dewpoint of 40F.
I remember hiking in Arches Nat'l Park back in July one year with a temperature of 104F but it was so dry it did not feel super hot. I was used to humidity at the time and the dry heat was a relief.
Here in the DC vicinity it can be 90 with 60% humidity/dew point. The heat index will zoom up to 105 degrees. At night the temps drop to mid 70s with the same 60% humidity/dewpoint. It is like breathing water vapor at that point.
One word describes it - foul.
I have family around the nation. In Boise, ID or central OR - 5 hours driving distance - it is high desert and low humidity. Though 90-100 may feel hot, the heat index is reversed, and feels like a chill factor to me.
South TX - SA - is basically unbearable 3-4 months out of the year. 100 for months with high humidity off the Gulf and $$$ electric bills because the AC runs 24/7.
Dry heat is like a blast furnace and you get used to it.
95 and high humidity/dew point is like an insane sauna. Has anyone ever sweated while showering? Felt a need to shower after toweling off because sweat is rolling off your body, even in AC? The only thing that really works is total immersion in a cold pool.
I'll take autumn in the mid Atlantic region anytime.
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