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I'd say Seattle is the most humid city on the West Coast (the few weeks of the year when it's in the upper 80s and 90s you can really feel it and dew points can get up to 70 at the most extreme), but it still doesn't compare to places like DC or NYC.
I remember more than a few muggy days when I lived in L.A. Mainly when I was living in the Fairfax area. Still, it was nowhere near comparable to the East or Gulf coast... where the humidity is pretty much constantly 60% or higher throughout most of the year. Comparing Western humidity to Eastern is like comparing a stick of dynamite to Hiroshima.
Exactly! I never broke out in a sweat walking from my front door to my car in the driveway in L.A. That's common anywhere east of Colorado in the summer
Exactly! I never broke out in a sweat walking from my front door to my car in the driveway in L.A. That's common anywhere east of Colorado in the summer
To be fair, there are certain inland suburbs in L.A. (The San Fernando/San Gabriel valleys come to mind) where the heat index can reach those levels... but humidity? Nah. Not even remotely close to the Eastern half of the U.S.
Back to the context of the OP's title for this thread, there really is no such thing as a "humidity-free" part of the country, except maybe Death Valley, and I doubt there are too many posters in these forums who call that place home. There are only varying degrees of humidity, and those degrees are significantly higher in the Eastern half of the continent than they are out West. It's all down to personal perspective.
I'm assuming you mean there is always some humidity regardless of where you are. That is true. In Arizona's driest month (June) humidity percentage is around 19%. Stereotypical Arizona weather there for the rest of you who haven't experienced June in Arizona.
But even at 19% does one feel the humidity? I know I don't. My sweat evaporates off my forehead so I know I don't feel muggy or sticky. My hair isn't frizzy. A puddle will be gone in no time here.
In reality, Arizona is pretty much one of the closest places on Earth to being "humidity-free". Not the closest but, it's up there.
But we do get periods of higher humidity which are seasonal, unlike the East where it is more constant. Arizona is currently in it's one of its higher periods (monsoon season) and I doubt someone from New Orleans, Miami, or NYC for that matter would call this humid (I heard Phoenix's average humidity level during monsoon season was around 60%, which is the average all year for NYC, so maybe they would).
The interior west is very dry air in the summer, but the West Coast isn't especially so. Los Angeles sees average summer dewpoints of 63F and Portland, Sacramento, and Vancouver BC see average dewpoints of 58-59 and often get up into the mid-60s.
Compared to the 70F+ you find in the east this may not be humid but the idea that you will never feel sticky or hot on the West Coast is ridiculous. A temperature of 95F with a dewpoint of 64F is pretty miserable even if the RH is only in the 30s.
I can't really speak for California. But the west coast in general is definetly less humid.
The big three PNW cities (Vancouver, Portland, Seattle) have a few things going for them.
1) Dew Points: Summer Dew Points are generally in the 50s. On the east coast they are mostly in the 60s and 70s. A 10 degree spread makes a huge difference when it comes to humdity.
2) Temperature: The body does not "generally" feel humidity until temps get into the mid to upper 70s. Temps on the west coast are quite a bit cooler in the summer compared to a place like NYC, or DC. etc... So you are not going to feel as humid simply because the TEMPs are cooler in the summer.
You also have to understand that when it gets hot in the PNW, and the west coast in general you need high pressure from the interior of the PNW. That means the heat will be DRY, and not humid. Air will sink down over the Mountain ranges, and dry out and become warmer as it compresses.
Hot patterns in Seattle/Vancouver/Portland generally bring DRY air (offshore flow).
Hope that helps. In conclusion. YES the west coast is less humid during HOT periods.
My point isn't that the West Coast is just as humid as back east, it's not of course but just that I find this idea that 85F with 50% relative humidity could honestly be described as "dry heat" to be bulsheet. .
Where do you live?
85 degrees with a DP in the 50s is way more comfortable than 85 degrees with high humidity.
The only places on Earth I can think of that would truly be "humidity-free", would be the Atacama Desert in Chile (the driest place on Earth), and even then only the areas at least 40 miles inland from the Pacific coast. The other would be the polar ice caps, where the air is so cold that moisture cannot exist in anything but solid form, year-round.
The interior west is very dry air in the summer, but the West Coast isn't especially so. Los Angeles sees average summer dewpoints of 63F and Portland, Sacramento, and Vancouver BC see average dewpoints of 58-59 and often get up into the mid-60s.
Compared to the 70F+ you find in the east this may not be humid but the idea that you will never feel sticky or hot on the West Coast is ridiculous. A temperature of 95F with a dewpoint of 64F is pretty miserable even if the RH is only in the 30s.
Incorrect. Worst month in LA is August and thats only 61. Rest of the year is under 60. Ive lived in SoCal most my life aside from a few years in Portland, OR. However, I have been to 27 states and spent a lot of time in many of them. I currently live in Anaheim, CA about 15 miles from the ocean. The humidity can get in the 70% range but its the dew point that gets you and fortunately, the dew point here is nothing compared to the southeast or even TX where they have average dew points of 68+ The worst Ive ever been in was 3 years ago in Baton Rogue LA the night before some tornadoes hit. It was 100% humidity with a dew point of 76. I thought I was going to die. I remember last year here in Orange County we had a week straight of 90+temps, humidity in the 70s and the dew point was between 66-68 and everyone was miserable after one week. States like TX and most of the southeast sees that kind of weather most the summer. CA is very mild in comparison and a big reason is the pacific ocean. Its temperature is much cooler than the gulf or atlantic meaning the winds and moisture we get are more cool and mild.
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