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That's not how it works. You can't just take an overall monthly average, and apply a humidity percentage to it - you have to look at individual day-by-day to get an accurate perception.
Anyway, while Vegas is a dry heat, the temperatures it experiences are just too hot. As a result, even if the heat index is much cooler than the high temperature, it's still worse than what is experienced in Houston. Indeed, the average heat index is 92.3F for Houston, versus 94.4F in Vegas, as per the Sperling Index method.
No, that's a lie and you know it
The daily max temp and the daily minimum humidity are generally temporally close in Las Vegas. They provide a good approximation for the heat index at the daily max temperature.
The heat index in Las Vegas last July and August got past a 100 about 5 or 6 times and never above 103. Houston regularly exceeds 103.
You simply are deliberately distorting the Las Vegas climate.
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No, both factors indeed matter. In the cloudless summers of Vegas, whatever heat index present will feel even hotter with the full extent of those burning rays and desiccating winds - whereas Houston has loads of big fluffy clouds, sea-breezes, and stronger thunderstorms to provide cooler perceptions.
If you want to talk about comfortable desert cities, stick with higher elevation areas like El Paso or Las Cruces. Using desert valley locales like Phoenix or Las Vegas would just be a losing battle.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that while you stifle in those 90F Las Vegas nights...
Again you deliberately misstate the conditions. 90F minimum temperatures in Las Vegas are very rare. In the high summer they average in the low 80s. The daily low may be at or above 90 once or twice in a year. Houston is lower at around 76 which is not all that big a difference.
I will agree that one should in general be careful of the Las Vegas sun and its high UV index. Shade is your friend. Though I would point out our dog and cat often lay in the bright sun on our brick patio at 105F though shade is only a couple of feet away.
An argument between Houston and Vegas about whose weather sucks more? Summer in both suck, but its mainly subjective. I live in Houston and my wifes family lives in Vegas. I dont like the weather in Vegas because I dont like dry heat or dry cold. I prefer having some humidity though it does get extreme in Houston.
Though saying Atlanta is more similar to Vegas than Houston in weather is pretty laughable.
The daily max temp and the daily minimum humidity are generally temporally close in Las Vegas. They provide a good approximation for the heat index at the daily max temperature.
The heat index in Las Vegas last July and August got past a 100 about 5 or 6 times and never above 103. Houston regularly exceeds 103.
You simply are deliberately distorting the Las Vegas climate.
Again you deliberately misstate the conditions. 90F minimum temperatures in Las Vegas are very rare. In the high summer they average in the low 80s. The daily low may be at or above 90 once or twice in a year. Houston is lower at around 76 which is not all that big a difference.
Still quite sauntering in those Las Vegas nights, without any of that nighttime cooling that dry heat advocates love to brag about. Lows in Houston, at least, get down to the 70s.
Low elevation desert cities just aren't viable areas of comfort when putting forth these dry heat arguments. Although the perceived temperatures are lower than the actual temperatures, those low-lying deserts get so hot that it's all meaningless. You have a better case using elevated dry cities like El Paso or Albuquerque.
Altitude in Las Vegas runs from around 2000 feet to 3000 feet. That is two to three times higher than Phoenix. It is not low desert. Night lows are about 20 degrees cooler than the days high. Feels fine. When it was 105 at 4PM 90 feels quite cool.
Atlanta by the way hits heat index highs of 100 about as often as Las Vegas.
Atlanta by the way hits heat index highs of 100 about as often as Las Vegas.
Atlanta's heat is anything but dry. Atlanta might not be quite as humid as Houston, but its not far behind. In Atlanta it rains very frequently, in Vegas it hardly ever does. Its why Atlanta is lush and green and Vegas is a desert.
So no, they arent comparable. Atlanta is far more similar to Houston in climate than Vegas. Its not a knock on Vegas but the comparison is invalid.
BTW, the heat index is higher in Vegas than Houston. So even with our humidity, you guys still take the cake on relative heat. Even at night:
Admittedly Houston IMO is a bit underrated, aside from the craptastic weather, I've been a few times recently and its quite awesome. I personally probably wouldn't move there but IMO it gets alot more flack than it deserves. I will say though Atlanta has it beat in scenery and transit, but in infrastructure, economy, diversity and events, Houston is no slouch.
They will love it here. Warn them that they better watch their weight. A lot of people put on 20 pounds their first year due to the overwhelming amount of irresistable food here.
They will love it here. Warn them that they better watch their weight. A lot of people put on 20 pounds their first year due to the overwhelming amount of irresistable food here.
Admittedly this happened to me within a year of moving to Texas (Austin area).
I'd argue that of the top metros, Houston is less dependent on the health of the US economy and more dependent on factors that are driven internationally than any other metrro. During the beginning of the last recession the only metros that still grew nearly at the same rate they did before were Houston and DC.
When I heard about the 2007-2009 recession in the national news, I was wondering "What recession?" Then the oil bust in 2015-2016 hit and the U.S. was just recovering while Houston had a mini-recession for the next couple of years.
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Originally Posted by lvmensch
This thread shows a reasonably strong eastern bias.
Weather in Las Vegas for instance is in general better than Houston and likely comparable to Atlanta. The reason of course is humidity.
I actually prefer the green tree-lined hills and mountains of Los Angeles, even though they are "fake" (wildfires). The coastal weather keeps the temps and humidity perfect; "not too dry like Vegas, not too humid like Houston, just right."--Goldilocks
When I visited Vegas in September 5 years ago, the overwhelming tan sand was depressing--as depressing as snow-covered Chicagoland. There was just no life and the dryness of that week-long visit destroyed my skin, especially around my lips and hands. My skin took 10 days to re-hydrate back to normal once in Houston.
It gets dryer in Houston during the cooler winter, but Vegas is still too dry even in winter. It felt comfortable when it rained in Vegas during my visit a couple of years ago. But once the rains stopped, it was too dry!
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Las Vegas temperature gets much higher. But one of the facts of that is the higher temperatures are virtually always associated with very low humidity. So if you compare the places by heat index Las Vegas is often less than Houston...The Las Vegas heat index is generally well less than the temperature while Houston is often a good bit higher. And Vegas is also free of hurricanes.
The sunlight is the most dangerous part of summer in the desert. That is guaranteed to drain your body's energy and weather buildings and cars. Luckily the humidity, clouds, and lower elevation filter the hot summer sunlight in Houston.
Let's not talk about the monsoons that come from the Gulf of California. The flash floods in the poorly-defined washes are much faster than a bayou filling up in Houston.
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As to beaches Las Vegas is 4 hours from those of southern CA. For the first five years here we kept a boat in Long Beach and spent a good part of the summer moored off Catalina.
Why settle in Vegas when there is something better--L.A.?
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Neither competitor touches Las Vegas on scenery. Remember we are a valley surrounded on all sides by mountains that get up to 12,000 feet. Mount Charleston is 11,900 and can be seen from much of the city. It is snow capped most of the year. One can be skiing on Mount Charleston in less than an hour. These mountains are also loaded with easily accessed hiking trails. The higher elevations are heavily forested.
Atlanta is on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. It's hilly and forested.
Houston's northern suburbs are on the edge of the Piney Woods. The lakes in the northern suburbs and Galveston Bay and the Gulf make fresh/salt water recreation easily accessible.
Vegas has the steadily evaporating Lake Mead. You can barely make out Mt. Charleston from the Valley, the Red Rocks block the view. The Grand Canyon is in an adjacent state, in a time zone an hour ahead, and is 2-3 hours by car or 1 hour by expensive helicopter ride from Vegas.
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The strip is an important resource. It is however our factory...not our residence or even play area. We tend to live in the outer ring around town. It is very nice suburban living.
I love how wide the major thoroughfares are in Vegas and in other cities out West. Westheimer Road would be a normal arterial road in Las Vegas, but it's only that wide because it's a state highway in Houston. But wide roads make it less walkable and accessible by bus/light rail, now with walkable mixed-use developments in vogue.
The lack of a core creates a disconnect among the major quadrants in the metro. Vegans avoid Fashion Show Mall, while Houstonians relish shopping in The Galleria. There is no museum district in Vegas, the last decent museum closed a few years ago. The performing arts and visual arts scenes are confined to the Strip casino showrooms and lobby displays. Residents avoid The Strip (and dread relatives visiting), but with the Golden Knights and Raiders stadiums being built nearby, how would local sports fans be able to support those teams?
The lack of a core also indicates a lack of desirable Class A high-rise offices, such as the buildings in Downtown Houston. Houston has added a few new mid-rise buildings within the past 5 years. It's still fun to walk around the Tunnels and see the new food halls that have popped up during lunch hour. It's also a stress-free commute to work with public transportation to the nicely-appointed CBD, instead of sitting in traffic and wearing out your car to a suburban office.
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