Des Moines Chat Thread

[atler8]

You do realize that ^^those conditions were taken during an actively occurring thunderstorm. If it's actively storming anywhere, the conditions during a rainfall will be similarly higher than normal. Doesn't matter where it is.
I was inland from Los Angeles last month when scattered rain showers moved in and the humidity/misery index zoomed way on up to a zone of discomfort which abated only when the temperature correspondingly plummeted with the fall of heavier rain.
During my visits there when my dad was living, I experienced conditions in metro Phoenix in the middle of storms in the monsoon period as well as in the winter. On those occasions the humidity & dew points are appreciably higher in advance of rain as well as while it occurs.
I specifically recall just before a monsoon rain hit one time, the temp was still in the mid 90's & the moisture was heavily in the air which made for horrible conditions.
To be fair, if it does rain there later this week, please send us a screen capture from that Weather Bug site on Friday & Saturday when Phoenix is forecast to have highs of 103 & 96 & concurrent excellent chance of rainfall.
Then there's this ungodly video scene courtesy of the Arizona Republic newspaper.

Video: Haboob, A Huge Dust Storm, Hits Phoenix Area : The Two-Way : NPR

[Meemur]

I saw somewhere that the dew point is 77 today in Des Moines. It certainly is brutal! I've been sweating all morning. I'm about ready to retreat to the basement for an afternoon of sewing.

Weather | whotv.com

[ElleTea]

That photo was not during a thunderstorm. There was a chance of them later, sure. I remember that day/night well. I was sitting on my patio when I checked the weather and took that screen shot. It was not raining. Dew point well into the 70s like that happened even on clear days. The background of WeatherBug changes with the conditions outside, and you can see that it was just partly cloudy and the forecast for the night was mostly clear.

During monsoon season in Phoenix it does get slightly humid in desert standards, but it will never get truly humid here by other parts of the country standards. People who live in Phoenix (and never anywhere else) will say it does because to them a few point of 60 is absolutely horrid. Humidity over 30% to them is horrid. I have yet to feel humidity here at all, even standing outside when a thunderstorm is churning.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

People in Phoenix have been complaining about how humid it's been lately. At about 25%. I like to show them this pic from a Des Moines summer evening a couple of years ago

That is uncomfortable for sure, but better than what I experienced when I lived by Kansas City. Try an air temperature of 106F with a 78F dewpoint. Outlandish!

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

That is uncomfortable for sure, but better than what I experienced when I lived by Kansas City. Try an air temperature of 106F with a 78F dewpoint. Outlandish!

That was taken at 10:20 PM. I don't recall the exact temp earlier that day but it was very hot. I was at the waterpark

[atler8]

I have absolutely no doubt that you accurately remember the personally experienced conditions at your home at that point during the screen shot you posted here. I also have no doubt that it was miserably hot & humid at your home that evening.
If you look closely at the screen shot in question however, water droplets are shown falling & lightning strikes are also shown in the rendering. The use there of several droplets denotes a slight shower or sprinkles. Full blown rainfall is usually denoted by sideways straight rain lines. So, there is no doubt that whatever was falling was very light & amid lightning. The air was full of moisture & the dew point would have been very high. So the question is, where was the actual physical location of the reporting location shown on the screen?
I assume that the data gathering location used for the screen shot would have been on the far south side of the city at the airport which has long been the official Des Moines weather data collection point.
At your home location, as you reported here, you did not have had any rain at all which is easily possible if you lived a few to several miles away form the airport. That situation happens to me repeatedly when I am not having rain but it is shown to be raining here in Atlanta. The main data reporting location here is at the airport which is around 8 miles away from me as the crow flies & my own local conditions can vary markedly from those of the airport.
As of overnight, very muggy conditions have moved up into the Midwest with the flow of moisture-laden air from The Gulf & as Meemur, reported, it's turned miserable in Des Moines. A lovely gift from Louisiana & points south...

[ElleTea]

No, the lightning and water drop icon is indicating there is a chance of that. That's why there's a % number there

The BACKGROUND on the image mimicks the current conditions on WeatherBug. It was partly cloudy

[Meemur]

In any case, today is truly miserable! I need for the humidity to move out: I don't deal well with a 110 heat index, or whatever they decided it would be.

No, I have no plans to ever move to the bayou or any points that far south. I'd love to visit during the winter and to gorge on fresh seafood, but I wouldn't want to deal with this weather for weeks on end. Two days is already enough!