How can you Alaskan's live in a place that doesnt get warmer than 70 degrees. (Anchorage: lease, area)

[Ben-the-skeleton]

Originally Posted by warptman

How do you live in weather that's in the 90's with 100% humidity? We don't understand that either.

Being in Houston tx and envying those who actually endure real winters, is exactly what you said. I have lived in Houston my hole life, and hear after year the best and humidity of the summer seems to get worse and worse. I love the winter here when it gets down to the 30s-40s some days. I realized the winter weather isn't that bad if you have the appropriate clothing to go along with it.

In the brutal southeast Texas summers, there is no such thing as the correct clothing. Getting in the shade does nothing to help with the heat or humidity. Ilex use my language but it just feels like death when you walk outside and sweat before even making it to your car.

I have come to the conclusion that because of my current job, it wouldn't make sense to move out of Houston. Which brings me to wanting to buy a vacation home to escape the heat sometimes in the outskirts of anchorage, thinking bear valley. But I know exactly how you feel about not understandin how people deal with the 90-100 degree weather for months on in. I have dime it my whole life and still can't take it.

I can't take the -50 temp days in the interior which is why I a, looking along the coastline to stay a bit warmer in the winter. But I most likely won't spent too many winters there. Just spring and summers. Which is very tolerable on my scale of temperature meters.

Still still to this day, I have no idea how the people I have lived with my while life can deal with and accept the brutal summers of heat and humidity and remain happy with their location of living. Don't get me wrong, Houston is a great place to live and raise a family. But that still doesn't take away from the huge compromise of dealing with the awful summers. Some people don't mention it, but everyone hates it. I would much rather deal with a 5 degree day with the proper clothing than a 102 degree day with 98% humidity where you need to take a shower every time you walk outside.

It's just that darn Job situation. I have confidence in myself, but I don't know if I would be able to get the same opportunity for financial success doing something I enjoy elsewhere. I joined a company at the beginning stages and now it's blowing up and we are feeling the benefits.

Houston is an awesome place, just the weather sucks. Even if you are a warm weather kind of person.

Hopefully will see you up north soon and we can share stories about the differences in lifestyles of the places we choose to call home. I have a huge fascination with south central Alaska, and will have my vacation home there hopefully sooner than later. You are more than welcome to come visit and hang out once the dream comes true.

[Ben-the-skeleton]

Originally Posted by steveklein

Please let me know of places where temperatures are ever in the 90s with 100% humidity. I don't know of any. Certainly not in the lower 48.

Clearly you've never been to Houston. We consistently have weeks on in where the temp never gets below 95 and the humidity never below 80%. It's just absolutely brutal. Houston is a wonderful place to live, but the summer weather absolutely sucks. At least in the cold you can bundle up to stay warm. In Houston, there is no escaping the heat and humidity other than just staying indoors. Which just isn't going to happen for me. It's a problem when you can't walk from the house to the car without sweat pouring through your clothes. I have never felt negative temps before, but I can tell you from my experience from a winter trip to Baltimore, I would much much rather deal with 9 degree temp (how it was in Baltimore that trip) with the correct layers of clothing than having to deal with being trapped in a sauna every time to step foot outdoors. The amount of people that get frostbit or have cold weather related health issues in Alaska, I'm sure are just as high as the number of heat strokes and heat related health issues in south Texas. There is no other way to describe it other than just terrible. It's the focus of every conversation from May to August. Then once it hits 80 degrees, people start rejoicing the death box of weather is gone for another 7 mo this.

[AADAD]

I remember coming out of the Alaskan Native Med Center. For some reason the temp is about 5 degrees colder there in that pocket than the rest of Anchorage. To say it's toe freezing cold is an understatement. It chills to the bone. A down parka help but after working layering up is time consuming. If I lived there year round I would have a remote start but then I just sat in my car until it got above zero. That said, I would rather be cold than the kind of heat/humidity you describe in Houston. That sounds like Hell on earth....and no, heat stroke is far more common in your area than frostbite in Alaska. Heat stroke sneaks up on a person and the cascade is hard to stop sometimes.

[It is 57 below zero]

At least they don't have to worry about being hot during the summer very often (except maybe in the interior). They will have high heating bills, but not much spent on cooling. So that's one season less for money saved on utilities.

Heat causes more deaths every year than any other weather problem. Yet, for some strange weather, most people would rather deal with hot weather than cold weather.

[It is 57 below zero]

Originally Posted by Ben-the-skeleton

In the brutal southeast Texas summers, there is no such thing as the correct clothing. Getting in the shade does nothing to help with the heat or humidity. Ilex use my language but it just feels like death when you walk outside and sweat before even making it to your car.

Winter is easier to deal with because at least there's always a such thing as correct clothing even if it means putting on like 7 sweaters and 4 coats. Theoretically if you walked outside completely naked, nothing would be accomplished in hot weather and the results would still be about the same. I think colder weather is easier because of this one fact: Heat causes some people to be compelled to go outside half-naked, resulting in a misdemeanor of indecent exposure. Indecent exposure violations are not possible in cold weather bundling and there is no such law that puts an upper limit on the amount of clothing you can wear.

[Rance]

25 degrees at my house this morning! Glad I dug my spuds yesterday.

[Ben-the-skeleton]

Originally Posted by It is 57 below zero

Winter is easier to deal with because at least there's always a such thing as correct clothing even if it means putting on like 7 sweaters and 4 coats. Theoretically if you walked outside completely naked, nothing would be accomplished in hot weather and the results would still be about the same. I think colder weather is easier because of this one fact: Heat causes some people to be compelled to go outside half-naked, resulting in a misdemeanor of indecent exposure. Indecent exposure violations are not possible in cold weather bundling and there is no such law that puts an upper limit on the amount of clothing you can wear.

Haha no kidding!! To be honest, it's almost cooler to be covered up than completely naked due to the sun glaring down on you. Most of the landscapers here wear long sleeve pants and shirts in the summer to keep the sun off their skin. And once you start sweating it gets your clothes wet that cool you off more. But no matter what you do, it is absolutely terrible.

We had a run a couple weeks ago where we didn't drop below 102 during the day and the low at night was still 94.

Another main issue I don't like about the Houston climate. Is there is no such thing as seasonal changes here. We have summer and not summer. I have never seen the leaves change colors and fall. I have never seen vegetation die out in the winter and spring back to live in the spring. We just have hot humid summers with no rain, and the rest of the year when it could be 35 one day, and three days later be 85 again.

Just once, I would like to see what all four seasons are like.

[Ben-the-skeleton]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

The Land of the Midnight Sun. And also known for midnight baseball without lights.

Even in Anchorage, but obviously to a lesser effect. I remember going into an imfamous "gentlemans club" (only due to some business contacts wanting to go there ) about 12:45 AM with the sun setting, and leaving about 3:15 AM with the sun coming up.
One of the most surreal things I have ever seen. Oh and the sunset/sunrise was good too.

Were those the names of the dancers at the club? Sunrise and sunset? Lol😎😎

[Ben-the-skeleton]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Oh and on the other end of the scale, 100% humidity and 90 degree temps are very rare even in the most humid parts of the SE. The truth is when humidity climbs, the temp falls, due to cooling storms. So the humidity rarely can remain high after the storms. In fact, many places in Florida feel a relief in the heat/humidity after the afternoon storms past. This is a natural Florida pattern.

That may be in Florida, but in SE texas, when it rains in the summer, it peaks in humidity and temperature for a couple days. You walk outside and everything you have is wet. You are sweating. The temp is well over 90 sometimes into the 100s, my glasses fog up, and it's tough to breath. Just about as bad as can be in Houston when it rains in the summer.

Conversely, when its not summer and it rains, then it is as you say, the rain typically brings in a cold front which is incredible. But summer rains in Houston make this place almost impossible to go outside after.

[Ben-the-skeleton]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Oh and on the other end of the scale, 100% humidity and 90 degree temps are very rare even in the most humid parts of the SE. The truth is when humidity climbs, the temp falls, due to cooling storms. So the humidity rarely can remain high after the storms. In fact, many places in Florida feel a relief in the heat/humidity after the afternoon storms past. This is a natural Florida pattern.

I think the difference from Houston to south Florida is the body of water. The gulf tends to get much warmer than the Atlantic therefore leading to less cooling breezes and cool fronts coming off the gulf compared to the Atlantic. Same story with the pacific. That water stays cold year round on the Southern California coast keeping the weather there superb throughout the year. Never too hot never too cold. Thanks Alaska for sending that cool water down to so cal. It was phenomenal for my vacation to San Diego in August s few years back.

Also, another knock on the Gulf of Mexico, being as Houston is on the west side of the Mississippi, and the river flows out of the swamps of Louisiana towards Houston/Galveston, even though the water isn't technically dirty, it is very very muddy maki it look disgusting. Galveston might be the ugliest beach in the country.

Nasty brown seaweed that looks dead. Brown water looks like sewage. Brown sand looks dirty from water and other factors. The town isn't a gem by any means. But hey, it's all we have for here in Houston so it's better than nothing. But I will much prefer the marshy beaches in south central Alaska with beautiful scenery surrounding it than the brown toilet bowl of Galveston.