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lol. Incidentally, the highest rate of obesity is in the South.
I'd think heavier people have more trouble cooling down and so are less comfortable in the heat.
Yes there are two primary ways our bodies lose extra heat; radiation, and sweat evaporation.
Fat is a great insulator, so the thicker your fat layers, the less effective you can "radiate" your extra body heat.
I hear you can also cool down a bit by breathing with your mouth open, kind of like a dog panting.
Personally I've noticed that over-eating also increases your body-temp,
so considering the high obesity rate in the South,
that could also partially explain their widespread "abuse" () of air-conditioning.
It doesn't seem that way for some reason, I recall it being 76 one time in February/Early March (2007 or 2008) I think.
I think I know what you're referring to. I remember having a 70 degree day in early/mid March 2007 in Massachusetts so it was probably slightly warmer in NYC. Then shortly after that warm day, we had the St. Patrick's Day Blizzard.
The answer to the original question is simple. The Floridians are used to warmer temperatures. I remember in August, it was 93-100 almost every day. 90 felt cool. Now the temperatures are closer to 80, but we had a day in September with temperatures in the 70s that dipped down into the 40s at night. I wouldn't go as far as to say that's cold, but it felt cool since I was used to warmer temperatures.
Uh, I never heard anyone saying 80 degrees is too hot. I've heard people say they don't like when it gets to 80, but they don't complain like Floridians do, like whining how they need to wear a light jacket. Boohoo.
60-70 degrees would sound great right about now. Its 8pm, middle of October, and 89 degrees outside. It feels like its been summer for six months and counting.
I haven't been complaining (much) about our cooler than normal Oct. but it is bugging me because we had such an awesome September (high 60's low 70's)! We should be at 60 and we're struggling to reach low 50's. This weekend the temps are really going to bottom out!
It is all in what you get used to! I'm not a fan of warm weather, but we get a short summer here in NE Wisc. so I try to complain too much!
Somewhere here on the boards, I promised to be nice when someone mentions being cold when it is in the 40's or 50's! I'm not going to discuss 60 or 70 because that is not cold. 70 here, all 4 seasons is perfect, not cold!
Yeah October started out a bit cold although this past weekend was very nice in the Northeast. Shorts and t-shirt weather. There is a (very) cold front coming from the mountain west, though.
Knowing the weather here, I say we will bounce back to a nice Indian Summer in late October. Maybe for Halloween
It's all about what you become accustomed too. I grew up in Michigan. I remember the first 40-45 degree days in the spring. We'd be out in T shirts, and shorts, washing the car, and driving around with the windows down.....
After almost twenty years in SW Florida, it's time for a light jacket and long slacks at 65 degrees. My A/C is set at 80 as I write.
For me, the humidity is the biggest factor. I can handle the heat itself, it's the oppresive feel that the humidity adds to it thats the killer. I was in Scottsdale, AZ a few years back, it was 106 in the shade, and I was comfortable walking around town all afternoon, of course the humidity was like a ridiculously low 8%
It seems many Floridians are spoiled, their weather isn't very variable; usually "summer" or at least "summer-like."
One of the City-Data members from Florida a few years ago said: 80's F were "too hot" but 60's F are "too cold."
I find it extremely-unlikely that they seriously "can't handle" either;
they probably insist on never dressing according to the weather changes,
and just get angry when they become uncomfortable.
*If I was used to doing a lot of watersports and I was Floridian
I might rant when it dropped below 70 F also.
Something else I noticed when I was in Florida (May through July) was that many residents could not tolerate the heat, either. I'm from Minnesota but I acclimatized within 2-3 days because I did not have a car and liked to walk anyway. On the other hand, Floridians are so used to being inside or in their cars (strip malls are everywhere) with the A/C on that they are almost as bad as Minnesotans in complaining about the heat.
What others have said about the first 40-50 degree days is true, too. In fact, after cold spells, I've seen people in February and early March out in T-shirts and shorts despite the temperature being hardly above freezing. But after summer temperatures in the 70's and 80's, temperatures in the 50's seem chilly.
Something else I noticed when I was in Florida (May through July) was that many residents could not tolerate the heat, either. I'm from Minnesota but I acclimatized within 2-3 days because I did not have a car and liked to walk anyway. On the other hand, Floridians are so used to being inside or in their cars (strip malls are everywhere) with the A/C on that they are almost as bad as Minnesotans in complaining about the heat.
What others have said about the first 40-50 degree days is true, too. In fact, after cold spells, I've seen people in February and early March out in T-shirts and shorts despite the temperature being hardly above freezing. But after summer temperatures in the 70's and 80's, temperatures in the 50's seem chilly.
Not surprised...
When I was in South Florida (it was always in winter) my reaction to their A/C was always between these choices: "...it feels okay...", "...makes me a little grumpy..." and "...hard to function after 5 min..." I almost-always felt better outside than inside with A/C, even after 30 minutes under bright, midday sunshine. My condition makes anything under 75 F "less-than-perfect", while most Floridians seem to think A/C allowing their indoor temps to stay consistantly lower than 72 F is the best thing since "sliced-bread."
I think the warmth of sunshine is underrated.
Just the other day I was basking in direct sunshine at 2 pm, with a temp of 59 F, wearing only a bathing suit and sunglasses.
Thanks to the winds being less than 10 mph, I actually felt warmer out in the sun than if I were indoors at 72 F similarly-dressed. ()
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) of air-conditioning.
We should be at 60 and we're struggling to reach low 50's. This weekend the temps are really going to bottom out! 
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