humidity in the summer (St. Louis, St. Charles: apartment, dermatologist, rentals)

[kagicre]

Can someone tell me if the summer weather in St. Louis is like Tulsa, OK? We lived in Tulsa for a couple of months and couldn't stand it.
I like St. Louis - the information I can get over the internet - but the weather kind of makes me wonder?

[jskirwin]

Well it isn't extremely different from Tulsa being that it's only 360 miles away. Humidity can be tough in the summer since the city lays in the Mississippi River valley, and snow is common in the winter - though some years are worse than others. Heat? Well the entire Midwest can bake in the Summer but then again I'd say there are hotter, more humid places in the South (Texas).

St. Louis has seasons that are obvious. You will get cold and snow in the Winter, but it will make you appreciate the hints of Spring you get in late February that become more frequent throughout March. April through June is downright gorgeous, with the air full of the smell of flowering plants and trees. I have very good memories of riding through West County and St. Charles at night with my car windows open.

Summer storms can be violent; tornadoes are not uncommon although much less so than Oklahoma. But I always liked the fresh smell of the air after a storm went through the area; it smelled so clean. Then the Fall comes and the land colors up with a palette that I find just as beautiful as one can see in New England.

What couldn't you stand about Tulsa? Moving from Oregon you are going to experience a difference from what you are currently used to. But I wouldn't say that the weather is particularly "bad" in St. Louis and I don't think it should deter anyone unless they need a more stable climate - in which case they should consider the Southwest, Florida or Southern California.

[aragx6]

I just posted about the weather in another active thread, but the short answer? Humidity is bad in St. Louis but here's a comparison of humidity levels specifically:

There are 24 numbers for each city. It's January - December and includes morning and afternoon. So the first number on the list is the January average in the morning and the last number is December in the afternoon. Make sense?



Simply put, if you hated Tulsa because of the humidity, you will not be a big fan of St. Louis. However St. Louis is hands down a more interesting, walkable, historic city with an incredible number of public institutions, many of them free. If you can get over the humidity, St. Louis is a wonderful place to live. You'll find that the locals almost never notice it, and it does seem like something most people just get used to. And we go on float trips so we can spend all day in the water

[moorlander]

The humidity is a problem for ~a month in the summer. The rest of the year it's hardly noticable and keeps your skin hydrated with less wrinkles. We're not Houston or New Orleans.

[kagicre]

Thank you so much for your help. Yeah, we disliked Tulsa mostly for the humidity - my husband is from Southern California, I am from Cologne, Germany. In Cologne we had humid days in the summer sometimes, and I never was a fan of it, but I know one can get used to it. The weather in Cologne isn't ideal anyway.
But we also like Tulsa because our neighborhood was quite run down and lots of other little things.
What I read about St. Louis, I liked a lot, the brick houses, the history, the parks, the dog friendliness, that its getting more and more bike lanes...
My husband always preferred Denver, so maybe we have a look at Denver first and see if we can get a rental in our price range and if not, we move to St. Louis.

[kagicre]

Originally Posted by moorlander

The humidity is a problem for ~a month in the summer. The rest of the year it's hardly noticable and keeps your skin hydrated with less wrinkles. We're not Houston or New Orleans.

LOL, hah, I will tell this my husband, it might change his mind. Mine too.

[aragx6]

Definitely fee free to ask any follow-up questions!

[kagicre]

Thank you, aragx6, I will

[OzarkChickenLover]

Originally Posted by moorlander

The humidity is a problem for ~a month in the summer. The rest of the year it's hardly noticable and keeps your skin hydrated with less wrinkles. We're not Houston or New Orleans.

I'm not sure where you live, but I can't stand the humidity here. My skin dries up and cracks winter and summer. I've had to seek out a dermatologist for chronic skin problems related to the climate here and my allergies, many of which have worsened or only appeared since I moved here. The humidity lasts far more than a month at oppressive levels. I start my A/C up in late May and it stays on till October most summers. At least in Florida you get a breeze....here there's just the stifling wet heavy blanket of a non-stop suffocating humidity. We don't go places here in the daytime from May through October. I got heat exhaustion last summer and have to be very careful how long I'm outside and what time of the day I go out in order to keep from getting it again. Since last summer I've noticed my tolerance for this weather is markedly decreased.

If you're young and in optimal health you may not have a hard time here. However, if you have sinus problems, allergies, or already-compromised health, make sure your A/C is functioning in your home and car, stock up on water, find a way to exercise indoors, and be ready to sweat it out.

Tampa humidity.....Orlando humidity.....they have nothing on St. Louis. The Mississippi River Valley humidity makes my life a living hell all summer long.

This morning....60 degrees....thank God and the angels I can breathe again!!!!!


OCL

[kagicre]

Originally Posted by OzarkChickenLover

I'm not sure where you live, but I can't stand the humidity here. My skin dries up and cracks winter and summer. I've had to seek out a dermatologist for chronic skin problems related to the climate here and my allergies, many of which have worsened or only appeared since I moved here. The humidity lasts far more than a month at oppressive levels. I start my A/C up in late May and it stays on till October most summers. At least in Florida you get a breeze....here there's just the stifling wet heavy blanket of a non-stop suffocating humidity. We don't go places here in the daytime from May through October. I got heat exhaustion last summer and have to be very careful how long I'm outside and what time of the day I go out in order to keep from getting it again. Since last summer I've noticed my tolerance for this weather is markedly decreased.

If you're young and in optimal health you may not have a hard time here. However, if you have sinus problems, allergies, or already-compromised health, make sure your A/C is functioning in your home and car, stock up on water, find a way to exercise indoors, and be ready to sweat it out.

Tampa humidity.....Orlando humidity.....they have nothing on St. Louis. The Mississippi River Valley humidity makes my life a living hell all summer long.

This morning....60 degrees....thank God and the angels I can breathe again!!!!!


OCL

I never heard that your skin can dry out of humidity, that doesn't make sense, but when you have your A/C running all the time that dries out your skin!! And isn't good for allergies and your sinuses. Your doctor should tell you this.
But humid summers are certainly not my preferred weather, but here in the Pacific Northwest, or the southwest the cost of living is much higher than the Midwest and that is the main reason we want to move there. Oregon weather might be perfect for you, cool rainy 8 months and 4 month of dry sunny weather with little humidity normally and only a few days per year over 90 F. A two bedroom apartment cost around 1000-1200 dollars a month in a decent place though. Places like Denver, Co aren't much cheaper either. I like Albuquerque, but the rentals I pretty high too - we are looking for a 2 bedroom house with our Labrador-mix - so the Midwest might have not ideal weather, but the COL is much better for us. And the job market for a truck driver is pretty good in the Midwest too.
I have allergies and I have fibromyalgia, but otherwise I am in pretty good health. My husband has not health problems.