West Coast/ Midwest/ East Coast cold - all different? (warm, temperature, days)

[StilltheSame]

Is there a difference in the cold on the east coast v. the midwest or west coast? I ask because 20 degrees in Minneapolis feels much warmer than 20 degrees upstate New York. Anyone else think so? If so - why?

[fishingprof]

It might feel colder because theres more moisture in the air in ny while minnesota has drier air.

[ColdCanadian]

-Imho, condensation is the biggest factor in whether or not a "humid" cold will be worse than a "dry" cold.

-Windiness/sunnines often plays a bigger role on the the perceived "warmth" or "chill" than humidity, if there's no condensation

Thanks to "heat island", Toronto rarely experiences condensation, though we often experience windiness and cloudiness.

[city_data91]

Sunshine, wind, and humidity/precipitation play a role in how cold it feels.

[susancruzs]

We get the damp air from Lake Michigan and to me, the damp 30's are worse than sunny 20's, today is a good example!

[ColdCanadian]

Once I saw an afternoon that was -4 F (-20 C) with 35% humidity and calm winds.
It felt how 24-28 F (-2 to -4 C) usually feels here with regular wind and humidity.

On calm cold days, it feels like the cold "sneaks up on you."

[deneb78]

I agree... I think humidity in the air plays a big role in how cold it feels..... There are days where it's only 28F (-2C) here in Vancouver but it feels bone-chillingly cold due to the humidity in the air, maybe more like 5F to 10F (-15C to -10C). I've been to places where it's very dry (humidity 25%) and the temperature has been -4F (-20C) and it actually feels much more comfortable than expected.

[GraniteStater]

In my opinion, the DRY cold is far worse than moist cold. Moist cold with light winds is far more tolerable and much kinder to my skin. Yes, you will also notice a difference in the dryness in areas west of the Mississippi River compared to areas to the east.

[RichardW]

Humid cold is far worse than dry cold. When it "warmed up" to 2c / 36f tonight it felt very bitter and bone chilling compared to the dry -10c / 14f we had earlier this week. The more humid air seems to have an extra bite to it that penetrates you.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by RichardW

Humid cold is far worse than dry cold. When it "warmed up" to 2c / 36f tonight it felt very bitter and bone chilling compared to the dry -10c / 14f we had earlier this week. The more humid air seems to have an extra bite to it that penetrates you.

I previously lived in the Great Plains region of the US and the dry/windy cold air was brutal. I remember this saying, "nothing protects the Plains from polar air when all you have are fence posts in the way." I will take moist cold with much lighter winds any day of the week over dust storms, blizzards, subzero windchills, etc.