Is dry heat really better then humid heat? (sunny, degrees, East)

[MissSoBelle]

I live in humid heat, and it is terrible. I'll take the dry heat any day. When I visit friends in SoCal, it is so easy to take the weather...no perspiration. Normally, I drip in our SE heat.

[kronan123]

dry... not that we get that much heat here to begin with.

[Cambium]

Will never forget being in Vegas in late spring and looking at the outdoor thermometer. It said 103F! I was shocked because it didn't feel like it.. It was much more tolerable then when I went to Florida in the spring when it was 90F and humid. Oppresive air is like sucking oxygen right out of you.

So yeah.... Dry heat wins over humid heat in my books. We have more humid heat days here I wish was opposite. I might actually tolerate temps over 80 better if we had dry heat here..

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

I have dry skin issues in spite of using lotion, so humidity is a must. I don't like heat at all, regardless of type. But if given the option, I would go with humid heat. I can tolerate sweating better than my skin being tortured in bright sunshine.

Ideally, summers in Upstate NY are more or less to my liking. Some humid days, intermixed with dry days from time to time. Arizona was pure hell, and Chennai, India was a disgusting steam bath where any deodorant fails.

[spicymeatball]

I find them equally miserable.

[i_love_autumn]

Originally Posted by nei

From my experience, dryheat is a bit overrated.

At the same temperature, dry heat is more comfy than humid heat. But if it is hot enough, it can be equally unpleasant just in different ways.

Very hot desert heat is actual heat; surface feel hot too touch, the air feels hotter than you and kinda oven like. I remember being outside in 110-115F degree heat in Arizona and it felt kinda scary.To me, humid heat (at lower temperatures) is more irritating if you're moving around, but doesn't feel as dangerous and it's more just sticky and a bit annoying. Also, dry heat tends to suck water out of you and you can very quickly get dehydrated without realizing. I remember going through a liter of water in half a day without moving around much in 90-95 degree dry heat.

But if it's only moderately hot (low 90s or less) dry heat feels a lot more comfortable than humid heat (just be careful to drink lots of water). But I'd take Florida heat over a desert heat. Though it's kinda like the choice between an oven and a steam bath...

You nailed it! I lived in Tucson,AZ for two years as a teen,and loved it,but did get heat exhaustion one day outside during P.E.,and strong sun has bothered me ever since.I start feeling nauseous if I don't get into the shade.

However, after living in the humidity of Ohio,which I detest,when my husband and I visited family in Spokane,WA, in summer,even though it was 90 degrees,we felt great and didn't even sweat! Even low 80's with the humidity here,you feel like a slimeball,and can't even pull your underwear down to pee,if you aren't in constant AC!
Winters in Spokane are too long and severe to consider living there,though.

Now, I would prefer not too hot [not over 85, is perfect] or too cold[not below 32].A Mediterranean climate would be perfect,such as San Diego,CA, or Medford,OR.

Could not stand the 9 months of overcast drizzly/dreary days of Portland or Seattle,though the temps would be great,but 'could' take the occasional highs and lows of southern Oregon.
Medford, is my second choice after San Diego.

[bronski]

I would want to experience dry heat once in a while. There's only humid heat over here. A RH below 50% is only achieved when the temperature is above 35c (95f).

[AZguy99]

Dry heat is better than humid heat because if it's hot out and the humidity is low, sweat evaporates more so your body has a better cooling effect. It's better to have 115 degrees with lets say 5% humidity than 90 degrees with 70% humidity. When the humidity is higher, sweat doesn't evaporate as much so it reduces the cooling effect on your body, which is why it feels much hotter than what it really is. This is known as the heat index.

[Osito]

Some people think so. It depends on one's climate preference. But wet heat is definitely different than dry heat.

[arleigh]

There is no evaporation in a humid atmosphere thus sweating does not help.