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I live in Texas and I could handle any heat level I have been in but I could never live somewhere with a cold climate.The cold really impacts my lifestyle.
The climate here in Louisiana has absolutely destroyed my happiness and sense of well being. Just moved here in December and my husband and I are planning to move to Washington in less than a year. I've been constantly dehydrated, dry mouth, and stuck inside all day. I used to be able to exercise an hour a day but am now so afraid of sweating and getting more dehydrated that I have to limit exercise to a couple days a week. On top of that, I am so dizzy from the heat that I've had to start working from home, which my employer was not terribly happy about. Can't wait for august to be over and to get outta here!
I just moved back to Louisiana after living 20 years in Maryland and West Virginia and love how I'm not cooped up here all winter. IN Maryland and WV I would be cooped up indoors from Novermber all the way through mid-March. Anything below 40 degrees is considered very cold for me and keeps me indoors. For me "hot" is above 85 degrees. I consider 75-85 to be totally comfortable. Perfect weather is being able to swim outdoors in an unheated pool and being able to wear shorts and a t shirt outside.
I don't mind our Louisiana summers at all. I can still walk outdoors in the summer here while I would be totally uncomfortably cold walking in the winter outdoors in MD. West Virginia had a similar climate as Maryland but the beautiful mountains made the gray winters more bearable than a Baltimore winter with gray skies and drizzle over a depressing city. I prefer the Louisiana climate MUCH more. I can never live year round in Washington state.
Seasonal depression is a real thing in many northern states.
I love the change of seasons and everything that comes with it. Because I live in a place with extreme temperature swings (we went from a low of -27 to high of 102 in 2018) I can handle both the cold and the heat.
Excessive cloudiness is hard for me. 1993 was an extremely wet, cool, cloudy summer in north Iowa. I was 8, and I remember experiencing seasonal depression. Iowa isn't normally that cloudy (there's a specific temperature range that tends to bring cloudy, gray weather here), so I can hack it.
Living in a place with a lack of contrast would take a lot of the joy out of the outdoors for me. I love being able to kayak, boat, and ride bike in the summer. I love bundling up and tackling the winter (so long as it runs in it's normal course - unseasonally cold weather bothers me). I love sweatshirt weather. We get every single type of weather here, and it's kind of unique and awesome, IMO.
I strongly dislike excessive heat, long summers, dry weather and seeing the sun all of the time. I love having seasonal changes and find the cooler weather of fall and winter energizing.
Rainy days and heavy snowfalls perk me up and I am happiest when it's cloudy and humid.
I lived in a hot climate and it just wasn't for me. I didn't feel like doing much of anything and hid in the house most of the time due to the sun/heat.
I just moved back to Louisiana after living 20 years in Maryland and West Virginia and love how I'm not cooped up here all winter. IN Maryland and WV I would be cooped up indoors from Novermber all the way through mid-March. Anything below 40 degrees is considered very cold for me and keeps me indoors. For me "hot" is above 85 degrees. I consider 75-85 to be totally comfortable. Perfect weather is being able to swim outdoors in an unheated pool and being able to wear shorts and a t shirt outside.
I don't mind our Louisiana summers at all. I can still walk outdoors in the summer here while I would be totally uncomfortably cold walking in the winter outdoors in MD. West Virginia had a similar climate as Maryland but the beautiful mountains made the gray winters more bearable than a Baltimore winter with gray skies and drizzle over a depressing city. I prefer the Louisiana climate MUCH more. I can never live year round in Washington state.
Seasonal depression is a real thing in many northern states.
Which city in Louisiana are you in? I visited St. Tammany Parish and Biloxi for two months during the summer and must say it was the best weather I've experienced in the U.S. so far. I'm from around Los Angeles, been all over the West Coast and the Rockies, but coastal Louisiana and Mississippi was the only time I have gone east of the Rockies.
I envy the Gulf Coast summers. Even at sunrise, it's at least 75 degrees, warm enough to sit on the porch in a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. And it never gets above 100 degrees because of the moderating maritime influence. The copious rain keeps everything wonderfully lush and forested even during the heat of the summer. And just when it gets too hot, the rain cools everything off by 20 degrees.
Over in California, every summer goes by without a drop of rain. No kidding. The coastal areas are foggy and mild, but just an hour's drive inland you'll find cities where the temps often exceed 100 degrees, and because of the rainless summers, there's not even a snowball's chance in hell that any rain or even cloud cover will moderate the heat. Then, those 100 degree days turn into chilly 55-60 degree nights. That's why I've always had to bundle up to watch 4th of July fireworks in California!
Living in a high desert locale, climate and weather are determining factors in a lot of ways. The overriding climate is sunny, very low humidity, few extremes, cold/cool nights, dry, and clear. Because of nearby mountain ranges there are micro-climates and rain/snow shadows.
Weather is still variable within that climate. When it rains it pours and we have flash floods and have to pay attention. Monsoon storms in July/August have spectacular lightning. Wind is a factor sometimes, especially in the spring. The wind is strong enough that a flat roof is the traditional architectural style -- wind will over stress a peaked roof. Snow is reasonably common in the mountains but rare in the valleys (except this year) and often is gone by noon.
Xeriscape or native plants are common landscape strategies. I have specimen plants in containers rather than in the ground since they need more water. It is common to have covered outdoor space as part of the house design. At 5500/6000 ft, the sun will drive you under cover more than the heat. I don't have AC but use an evaporative cooler that pumps humidity into the house, the opposite of AC. The lowest humidity I've noticed is 4%. Nights are crystal clear so the sky is gorgeous. This winter has been colder than normal but our usual winter temperature tops off at around 50 degrees with warm sun on most days.
For me, I get really irritated in heat/humidity. On the other hand, cloudy gray weather gets me depressed. So it really affects me. I prefer sunny and mild...say San DIego.
I'm from San Diego and enjoy outdoor activities. Hiking on the weekends and jogging 2.5 miles every night was the norm for me before I lived on the east coast. Living in NY and DC, I became much less active because I simply do not want to run/walk in freezing, humid, or rainy weather. It's just extremely uncomfortable compared to what I'm used to. (I know, lame excuse)
Now I will say that I'm more active in my day-to-day activities because I don't rely on a car as much. I actually walk/bike to places and take transit. It's less feasible in most California metros.
I also think the food options were generally better in California. I'm not talking about vegan or whatever. Just the fact that healthier meals (restaurants and menu items) are less common on the east costand even if they are available, they are way overpriced and have lousy produce.
We moved from Central California over to Wyoming two years ago. We've acclimated extremely well to our new climate. We love having four distinct seasons, and we even enjoy the winter and the snow.
We've always hated the extremely hot summers we endured back in California, but what I didn't really remember until we came back to visit over Christmas was how gloomy the winters were. Fog, and gray dominate for a lot of the winter months, and while we do get some overcast days here, the sun seems to shine more here all winter long then it did back in our part of California.
I think we're where we're supposed to be, we are way more active outdoors here than we ever we're there. In the summer it was too hot, and in the winter it was gloomy and you just wanted to curl up and sleep. I'm not saying the weather where we live now is perfect, winter lasts just a bit longer than I'd like, when it's still snowing in April I'm done with it, but overall this climate is a much better match for our family.
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