Humidity in Iowa (Des Moines, Panama: for sale, house, living in)

[atler8]

It's not as simple as just looking at summer high temperatures for cities in both states & thus determining that Iowa or Wisconsin is more comfortable than the other in terms of heat or humidity. There is no one set of data for Wisconsin or for Iowa that uniformly or well represents the range found within each state.
Examination of weather data for Iowa & Wisconsin shows that there are wide variations on the data within the boundaries of both states as a result of where they sit on the continent. Yet there are also striking similarities depending on the region you are looking at in each state.
Wisconsin is largely situated in a north to south or up and down direction & noticeably further north than most of Iowa. Iowa is spread out in more of an east to west or across direction. As a result, both states can be impacted differently by the seasonal air masses & nearby large bodies of water yet can also have strikingly similar climate records & average data.
Much of northeast & eastern Iowa is almost on par with the summer heat & humidity readings for most of southern & central Wisconsin. The exception to that is the immediate lakeside area adjacent to Lake Michigan, such as the Milwaukee airport, which is definitely affected by the "lake effect" which moderates it's average temperature range.
The bottom line is that summer temperature & humidity readings in Waterloo & Dubuque for example are almost exactly the same as they are for LaCrosse & Madison.
The summer heat average rises gradually as head you west into central & western Iowa as you get closer to what is considered the Great Plains. Additionally, precipitation varies sharply across Iowa from it's eastern border to it's western border as you draw nearer to those plains. For example, Sioux City typically receives only 2/3 of the annual average rainfall as does Dubuque & it's average rainfall total is actually slightly closer to that of Denver than that of Dubuque.
Examination of data determines that the warmest regions of Iowa in the summer are it's far western & southwestern regions as the plains are approached.
Conversely, the data shows that Des Moines averages 26 fewer days per year than does Madison of where the temperatuere falls below 32 degrees.
Of course it's not all solidly hot & humid in those states in the summer as both Iowa & Wisconsin can be blessed by the passage of a cool front in the summer which lowers the temperatures & humidity levels to comfortable levels. But if a heat wave is on & there is no cooler air mass present, then it can be miserable.
Anecdotally speaking from 27 years of visiting my family in southeastern Wisconsin, I know that it's anyone's guess & a roll of the dice as to whether it will be pleasant or stiflingly hot & humid when I'm there. The griping of the television media about the heat & humidity seem no different than they did when I lived in both north central & then central Iowa.

[rusty2006]

Yeah, it's not great. Now we moved here from Houston, so we laughed out loud when people here complained about the humidity. After a few Iowa winters and losing our heat tolerance, we do find the humidity to be very noticeable. Still not gulf coast, but it can be a bear.

[tijlover]

Check out the Heat Index from the People's Almanac, it can be quite the eye-opener!

90 degrees/70% humidity=Feel index of 106
90 degrees/80% humidity=Feel index of 113

And God forbid, it should ever happen: 90 degrees/90% humidity=Feel index of 122!

And where could you experience this? 90 degrees/10% humidity=Feel index of 85!

The times I momentarily dream of returning to the Midwest, I know it's become irreversible now, no turning back!

I'm sure there's no uniformity to Iowa, and there's going to be those pockets where the humidity is less than other areas.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by tijlover

Check out the Heat Index from the People's Almanac, it can be quite the eye-opener!

90 degrees/70% humidity=Feel index of 106
90 degrees/80% humidity=Feel index of 113

And God forbid, it should ever happen: 90 degrees/90% humidity=Feel index of 122!

And where could you experience this? 90 degrees/10% humidity=Feel index of 85!

The times I momentarily dream of returning to the Midwest, I know it's become irreversible now, no turning back!

I'm sure there's no uniformity to Iowa, and there's going to be those pockets where the humidity is less than other areas.

Decorah would probably have the mildest temperatures of any area in the state, but humidity values there aren't low. However, it's all relative to what you have experienced and are used to. I've lived in the Kansas City region and Louisville region and both featured brutal levels of humidity with Heat Index values going well above 110F. Air temperatures in those areas would occasionally get in the 105-110F range during a heat wave.

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

In the warmer months, what you want to look at is dew point. The higher the dew point the more saturated the air. We get some tropical dew points in the summer, up in the low-mid 70s. THAT is when it feels muggy out, even if the humidity % isn't topped out near 100%. I have compared summer weather (dew points and humidity) to various places like Ft Lauderdale or Puerto Vallarta Mexico and we have had had the same conditions here on many days.

In cold weather the humidity translates to dampness which can translate to bone-chilling cold. The cold feels much different here than in drier climates due to that humidity.

This is so incredibly true. Compared to the dry climates, the humidity filled ones feel worse at either extreme. Below 40, it will give the cold a real bite. Since Iowa mornings in the winter are often only 15 degrees or so, it will chill to the bone. In the summer, being 90 and humid feels horrible. For comparison, 90 in Phoenix feels lovely, and 40 in Colorado is sweater weather with the coat being optional. Some people will be out in shorts and a T shirt.

However, I've met some people that love the humidity. When I first moved to Iowa I found the humidity during the Spring and Fall to be quiet pleasant, even though it was awful in the summer/winter.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by lurtsman

This is so incredibly true. Compared to the dry climates, the humidity filled ones feel worse at either extreme. Below 40, it will give the cold a real bite. Since Iowa mornings in the winter are often only 15 degrees or so, it will chill to the bone. In the summer, being 90 and humid feels horrible. For comparison, 90 in Phoenix feels lovely, and 40 in Colorado is sweater weather with the coat being optional. Some people will be out in shorts and a T shirt.

However, I've met some people that love the humidity. When I first moved to Iowa I found the humidity during the Spring and Fall to be quiet pleasant, even though it was awful in the summer/winter.

I am one who loves humidity! (and I am moving to the desert LOL)

It is great for your skin, and I love feeling warm after stepping outside from the AC or getting out of a pool. In dry places, you can be cold at 100 degrees in the pool, especially with a breeze. I've experienced just that in Las Vegas!

I always think about the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, supposedly set in Chicago. Clark is on a ladder hanging lights in just a flannel shirt and vest. There is quite a bit of snow on the ground. Every time I see that I think "yeah right." With the humidity chill, it would be hard to be outside for very long in Chicago (where the weather is pretty much the same as here). Because the movie was filmed in Chicago, this was perfectly normal in that climate.

[Meemur]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

It is great for your skin, and I love feeling warm after stepping outside from the AC or getting out of a pool. In dry places, you can be cold at 100 degrees in the pool, especially with a breeze. I've experienced just that in Las Vegas!

I will try very hard to remember that the next time it is 90 degrees and I'm gasping for breath! (:

I so love our weather right now! These 50s are great for the yard work I'm doing. I can wear a long-sleeved shirt and be perfectly comfortable. I'm not sweating to death and showing too much skin for a 50-something woman.

On the other hand, I suspect you are snuggled into a fashionable fleecy poncho awaiting your move to the dessert and endless sunshine.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Meemur

I will try very hard to remember that the next time it is 90 degrees and I'm gasping for breath! (:

I so love our weather right now! These 50s are great for the yard work I'm doing. I can wear a long-sleeved shirt and be perfectly comfortable. I'm not sweating to death and showing too much skin for a 50-something woman.

On the other hand, I suspect you are snuggled into a fashionable fleecy poncho awaiting your move to the dessert and endless sunshine.

How did you know!? Don't forget that I also have 2 chihuahuas snuggled in close, trying to stay warm as well!

The "s" word in the forecast this week hasn't made me happy. But since I am leaving soon, it has not depressed me as much as years past.

[Meemur]

Enough snow = x-country skiing. There is a lot of humidity here so we won't get the dry powder that Utah does, but any x-country skiing that doesn't involve a base of ice is excellent!

You'll be in the desert by then, with luck. (:

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Meemur

Enough snow = x-country skiing. There is a lot of humidity here so we won't get the dry powder that Utah does, but any x-country skiing that doesn't involve a base of ice is excellent!

You'll be in the desert by then, with luck. (:

Oh I will! Moving next month!

The luck will come in if I can get out without every seeing the white crap again!