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It can be absolutely beastly in summer. It certainly doesn't mean you HAVE to stay inside. It is just too uncomfortable to be out for long. There have been days in August that my kids have asked me to leave the pool b/c they were way to hot. Even the water is warm. That being said I love it here and love all the other months that MORE than make up for it!
It is often too hot to do much outdoors in the summer here. The kids mostly live at a local pool, but otherwise you thank heaven for air conditioning. Again, it's so subjective and all depends what you find more tolerable: lots of days with snow/cold, or lots of days with heavy, muggy air(the Raleigh meterologists will often issue heat advisories in the summer). Things like mowing the lawn, walking the dog, being outdoors for any length of time, can drain you due to the humidity. It was humid in the midwest where I grew up, but NC, even after 20 years, still seems worse to me. I think the main difference is that the day and night temps vary only by a few degrees in the summer months, so there is no real cool down. It is definitely a trade-off though, and about the only place I know of in the country that has absolutely perfect weather is San Diego... though there may be others. As far as NC goes, the mountains in the western part of the state would be your best bet for somewhat cooler summers where you could spend more time outdoors and be more comfortable than in central/eastern NC.
I compare it to Sauna vs Steam Bath and which you like better. We have family who live in the California high desert where it often reaches 100 plus in the summer. They still about die if they come to NC in the summer to visit and say they much prefer the dry heat of the desert. For me, Spring is the whole reason we live in NC. It was in the 40's over night, it's about 50 degrees now, and it will get up into the 70's by mid day. Plus everything is in bloom. This will last about a month, and then the hot and nasty begins and won't go away until late Sept. I'm just enjoying now!
With all respect to MariGirl, the temperature records for Raleigh show that there is about a 19 degree difference between the high and the low for the day, and that's for the entire year mostly. I don't know where in VT Vteratheart is from(but you ought to get out), but if I look, say, at Montpelier, the difference between the high and low for the day is like 21 degrees in the summer and 18 in the winter...a slight improvement. However, the summer high differential between Raleigh and Montpelier is 10 degrees and the winter differential is 23 degrees! Now, if you use weather.com to compare cities and pick Asheville NC and Montpelier, you can see that the summer high temps differ by only 6-7 degrees whereas the winter temps differ by a whopping 20-21 degrees. So for a trade of +6 degrees in the summer, you get a +20 in the winter...good trade IMHO. So instead of having to deal with an average of 7 degrees in the winter, you have an average of 25 degrees. Moving from Asheville to Raleigh, you get a +4 degree shift in both summer and winter temperatures.
So as MariGirl suggested, you would probably much happier in WNC than Raleigh. You would have a good boost in the winter temperature over VT, but much less of a rise in the summer. On the other hand, you could wait for global warning.
I have to agree with what MariGirl says.
I was born and raised in the NE corner of CT, then to Asheville for 9 years and now Raleigh/Cary for 20 years.
The difference in all is: in NE we would open the windows for a cross breeze and many times get one. During the nights the degrees would drop to make the mornings comfortable.
Asheville has its hot days but within 10 minutes you could be on the Blue Ridge Parkway escaping the humity and feeling a breeze. Asheville is a more rural area so the homes tend to have more mature trees around and the homes tucked on a hilly area to get a breeze.
Raleigh can be stiffling at times. I think everyone tailors and adapts to the humity well once they spend their 1st summer here. It all depends if you prefer to be outside doing activities or inside, ie: working out. Air conditioning is a must within any building here, but they all have it. The days there is no breeze it can get the best of you. You will hear lawnmowers very early in the mornings to beat the heat, as well as right after a storm even with the lawn wet just to beat the stiffling air that is to follow. 3 to 5 pm is the hottest time of the day. The only thing I found I had to adjust to coming from NE and Asheville was the night temp. does not drop to much lower so you wake up to a warm morning.
I feel everyones tolerance is different. What bothers 1 person won't bother another. Such as:I would not consider going to Carowinds in July or August walking the hot pavement when others love it. It is all a matter of preference.
To me to experience the 4 seasons is the best of all.
I remember hot and humid days growing up in Wisconsin. I'm not sure if it gets as humid as here in the Raleigh area, but the humidity was there. I remember there were a couple of summers where we moved into our new house in WI and had no A/C - worst summers of our lives. Couldn't sleep well due to the humidity and heat still throughout the night time. I remember dad mowing the lawn early in the mornings, around 8:30am-ish, still sweating like a banshee but hey, better than doing it at noon time.
Then, I lived in Tucson, AZ for a couple of months during the June - September period. Let's just say that dry heat in the 100's is not my idea of fun. At least with the humidity, my skin glows. But in dry heat, I feel like I'm in a furnace overcooking until my skin is dry as parchment paper. It sucks!!
I'll take the heat + humidity over the constant dry heat over the 100's anyday.
The thing that I most dislike about the climate in the Triangle is the hot nights in summer. The low is 76-78 with full humidity, which is I find difficult and uncomfortable to sleep through without A/C. After living in Cary for 4 years without A/C, I moved to Charlottesville, VA. There, the temperature at night drops below 70 at night, even during the summer. I found that was my comfort point for sleeping at night without A/C. (The other drawback to not having the A/C on is having the window open and hearing everyone else's heat pump blaring away.) Living without A/C in Cary, I found myself not wanting to get off the couch when the indoor tempterature got over 85. (I'm quite active, otherwise.) So, I have resigned myself to a life with A/C when we move back to NC.
I think it got more humid in CT where we were but I have to agree that there are days in the summer when you can't even go outside. There was a stretch last year where it was just entirely too hot to do anything outdoors. And I can recall that every day got to be 90+ for quite some time too.
I just wanted to say you are not alone...I'm also moving to Raleigh in June of this year...I have no idea about the heat/humidity, except that at this point in my life, living in VT my WHOLE life, I will take the heat over the cold any day. Being stuck in the house for just about 7 months out of the 12....I'm ready for the HEAT! Where in VT are you from?? Best of luck to you!
I actually love the summer here. I like the humidity and whenever I fell that is too hot outside I just go in and enjoy the air conditioner. Not sure if I understand people who move here and complain about the summer. If you must have mild weather then move to San Diego
I actually love the summer here. I like the humidity and whenever I fell that is too hot outside I just go in and enjoy the air conditioner. Not sure if I understand people who move here and complain about the summer. If you must have mild weather then move to San Diego
Hi, I'm thinking of relocating to Florida to The Villages from Australia. Tell me about the place and maybe why I should or shouldn't. What I've seen of over there makes me want to pack my bags and head over tomorrow because it looks great and would be a great place to live out retirement in. You guys seem much more switched on to living life wheras over here everything is so slow and boring. If you've got a new idea don't bother starting it up in Australia because people here just don't get into it. Living life here is more like killing time. What does the weather vary from and to?
Tony
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Sauna vs Steam Bath
Where in VT are you from?? Best of luck to you!
Info about Florida
