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In my area, it alternates between humid warm and dry cold depending on wind direction/jet stream movement. That is why frosts/freezes can happen numerous times, but snowfall is extremely rare.
Both. It's usually more humid on the warmer days, and drier on the colder days.
It's like that for us too I think.
Interestingly enough, this area has a reputation in Canada for being very humid in winter and in summer. But I was checking some figures and our average winter humidity level is around 75%. This is from what I can see is lower than in most of western Europe where it's often around 85%. It's also not that much higher than in Calgary, Alberta (70%) which is often vaunted in Canada for having fairly tolerable (though fairly cold) winters in part due to the very low humidity.
Our summers are also supposedly extremely humid pour our average humidity is only around 55% in summer, which doesn't seem that high to me. Although I suppose even 55% does make a difference in how warm it feels when the actual temperature (without counting the humidity) is 30C or more.
Vancouver winters are very humid, with most days featuring thick clouds, frequent rainfall, and relative humidity usually over 80%. The exception is when an arctic front moves in and brings cold, dry air from the north, then we can have up to a week of cloudless weather with very dry air - I've seen relative humidity drop as low as 20% in these cases, impressively low for a place next to the ocean during the rainy season.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
Interestingly enough, this area has a reputation in Canada for being very humid in winter and in summer. But I was checking some figures and our average winter humidity level is around 75%. This is from what I can see is lower than in most of western Europe where it's often around 85%. It's also not that much higher than in Calgary, Alberta (70%) which is often vaunted in Canada for having fairly tolerable (though fairly cold) winters in part due to the very low humidity.
I think this is because of people's misconception of humidity. Your area is relatively cloudy and snowy in winter and so people from the prairies (where it's sunnier and has lower snowfall totals and days), they associate that with "humidity", but in fact when it's below freezing the relative humidity doesn't make that big of a difference anymore because it's pretty dry even when the humidity is "high".
Interestingly enough, Calgary's averages are actually warmer than Ottawa in January, February, and March, and only slightly colder in December (though Calgary's minimum extremes are much lower).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
Our summers are also supposedly extremely humid pour our average humidity is only around 55% in summer, which doesn't seem that high to me. Although I suppose even 55% does make a difference in how warm it feels when the actual temperature (without counting the humidity) is 30C or more.
Yeah, people out west are used to fairly mild daytime temperatures (with very low humidity in places like Calgary - often only in the 20 or 30 percent range during the day) and cool or chilly nights. So when they come out east and it's in the high 20s or low 30s during the day with 50% or more humidity and relatively warm nights, it feels very hot and humid compared to what they're used to (even though someone from the southeastern US would find it very mild and pleasant).
55% humidity at 30C gives a dew point of 20, which is much higher than you'll usually get in a typical BC or Alberta summer.
I find it unpleasant, I prefer lower humidity in winter, also because it is usually associated with clearer skies, although we have our fair share of sunny days with very high humidity.
Wind is mostly absent here in the winter (as it is most of the year) and our area is flatlands sheltered by mountains and there is a lot of water around, there are rivers and stillwater. Also, I live near a small lake and there is a small river about 1 km away, i can feel the humidity being stronger here than downtown where there is no river.
That said, this winter has been mostly dry and quite windy (from January onward), but it's also been mild and sunny.
Acajack, I haven't been to Gatineau, but when I lived in Toronto, I thought the air was usually very dry in the winter. The winter was actually more pleasant there (albeit longer) than most winters I have spent here or in France, even if our january averages 2 or 3c and Toronto is quite a bit colder. This was very similar to being in the Alps. It might be very cold, but you can always dress for it. I had the same clothing that I had in Europe. I only bought a beanie because I had forgotten to pack the one I used for skiing.
I think finding a place humid or dry depends on where you're from / what you're used to. In Toronto I had a friend from Constanza, Romania, who complained about the "dryness" or the air and having nose problems. I had no clue what she was talking about because I felt really fine there.
In Lyon (which is much damper and milder) i had another friend who had spent a lot of time in Bordeaux (even milder and more humid) who complained about the same thing in Lyon, she actually had bought a humidifier for her place. Again, i didn't understand.
Conversely, I had another friend from Besançon, France, which is colder and dryer, who complained about feeling colder in Lyon because it was very humid.
Our summers are also supposedly extremely humid pour our average humidity is only around 55% in summer, which doesn't seem that high to me. Although I suppose even 55% does make a difference in how warm it feels when the actual temperature (without counting the humidity) is 30C or more.
I find it unpleasant, I prefer lower humidity in winter, also because it is usually associated with clearer skies, although we have our fair share of sunny days with very high humidity.
Wind is mostly absent here in the winter (as it is most of the year) and our area is flatlands sheltered by mountains and there is a lot of water around, there are rivers and stillwater. Also, I live near a small lake and there is a small river about 1 km away, i can feel the humidity being stronger here than downtown where there is no river.
That said, this winter has been mostly dry and quite windy (from January onward), but it's also been mild and sunny.
Acajack, I haven't been to Gatineau, but when I lived in Toronto, I thought the air was usually very dry in the winter. The winter was actually more pleasant there (albeit longer) than most winters I have spent here or in France, even if our january averages 2 or 3c and Toronto is quite a bit colder. This was very similar to being in the Alps. It might be very cold, but you can always dress for it. I had the same clothing that I had in Europe. I only bought a beanie because I had forgotten to pack the one I used for skiing.
I think finding a place humid or dry depends on where you're from / what you're used to. In Toronto I had a friend from Constanza, Romania, who complained about the "dryness" or the air and having nose problems. I had no clue what she was talking about because I felt really fine there.
In Lyon (which is much damper and milder) i had another friend who had spent a lot of time in Bordeaux (even milder and more humid) who complained about the same thing in Lyon, she actually had bought a humidifier for her place. Again, i didn't understand.
Conversely, I had another friend from Besançon, France, which is colder and dryer, who complained about feeling colder in Lyon because it was very humid.
Actually the same in Greece as in Italy. We have many similarities. :P Bologna is quite snowy for italian standards isn 't it?
It doesn't snow very often but when it does, it can be intense. This winter we had about 35cm in an otherwise dry and mild winter. That's more than most winters I've lived in France.
It doesn't snow very often but when it does, it can be intense. This winter we had about 35cm in an otherwise dry and mild winter. That's more than most winters I've lived in France.
I saw a video of the snowfall in February 2015 in Bologna. It was nice!
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