Dew Point and comfort.

[cruxan]

humidity realy sucks.!!! here in the us vi it's been humid for at least 5 months worst humidity in my life of living here. the only good thing about it is it's good for your skin and eyes. thats about it.. i wish they could tow some big azzzz ice bergs from greenland, and let them melt in the waters around the us vi. that would be a sight for sure. island size ice bergs floating around buck island, up wind of us..

[73-79 ford fan]

I am getting sick and tired of this extreme heat and humidity. Been thinking about going to Langdon North Dakota to get away which is the place with the coldest winter temperatures in the lower 48.

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 48.75°N and Longitude 98.4°W

Current forecast looks great there and notice the overnight lows which means low humidity with green scenery.

[IBrakeforTailgaters]

Generally, when the dew point is below 60, it feels okay outside. We've been fortunate to have some systems come across the area this summer--which doesn't happen often--and have brought down the dew point levels. So we've actually had some days where the temperatures were in the upper 90s but because the dew points were in the upper 50s, it made a huge difference. Now we're back in our typical summer heat/humidity days where the air is thick (especially now since we had severe storms break out around 6-7 and the temperatures were in the upper 90s before the storms and the dew points were already around 70)...it also gets very hazy. When the dew points are down, the sky is so much more blue and beautiful. Unfortunately, our dry air usually comes and stays during the winter so it's pretty out, but it's cold by our standards.

I was just thinking about the deserts. I read that monsoon season starts when the dew points exceed 55 degrees for 3 days in a row. I think many of us in the Southeast wouldn't mind having dew points that "high" because that makes for some very comfortable air--more like an oven than a steam room....so long as the temperatures aren't too high along with that high dew point!

[jtur88]

It's almost like fall today. After two months in which the dewpoint reached above 77 every day, it suddenly plummeted to 62 this afternoon. The temperature is still 97, but the heat index is only 98, instead of its usual 105-110. In fact, at about 3 oclock, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to close the windows and turn on the AC. It was 88 in the house, but I had not yet been driven to the thermostat.

[Nivalis]

The dew point's been in the lower 60s during the afternoons here for the past 2-3 days. It's nice enough for me to be outside (in the shade) and be fine with it, even though the highs are in the lower 90s. It's very interesting how sensitive I became to the lower dew point. The funny part is that our weather would probably still feel tropical-like for many of those up north.

[marmac]

yup, would feel tropical to me.( central Minnesota )

We're at 75 with a 57 dew point today.

[nei]

Originally Posted by Not Made for the South

The dew point's been in the lower 60s during the afternoons here for the past 2-3 days. It's nice enough for me to be outside (in the shade) and be fine with it, even though the highs are in the lower 90s. It's very interesting how sensitive I became to the lower dew point. The funny part is that our weather would probably still feel tropical-like for many of those up north.

We got quite a bit of that weather last month up here in Massachusetts. I found it enjoyable, though obviously hot. To me, the days with higher dew points felt more tropical even if they were a bit cooler.

Our July average was a high of 88 or 89 with a low of 63/64, so our average dew point was probably in the low 60s, too.

[NewOrleanstopics]

Originally Posted by jtur88

After three summers in south Texas, I have determine that the Dew Point is the most important indicator of the comfort level of the day.

When Dew Point is below 75, it is reasonably comfortable to take my 25 minute walk to the supermarket, even if the temperature is over 100. (Which it was last summer on more than 60 dates, a record.) But if the Dew Point is over 75, it can seem uncomfortable even if it is only 88.

I complained to my friend (a meteorologist) that I can't find predicted dew points in any online weather forecasts. He said just look at the the overnight low, it will drive the day's dewpoint.

Sure enough. I looked at last summer's daily records, and the maximun dewpoint every day was 1-5 degrees above the overnight low. The average differential was 2.5 degrees higher. Those are the maximum dewpoints, so the average dewpoint is extremely close to the overnight low. So I can predict that if the overnight low goes down to 72 or lower, the dewpoint that day will be tolerable, regardless of the temperature.
I've learned to take my summer shopping walks at around 3-4 pm, when the breezes are the highest of the day, and there is the best chance of the sun being behind a cloud. Early mornings are a steam bath, in the still air and 99% humidity and unobscured sun.

I also need to set my AC to a lower temperature on high dewpoint days. The value of the AC is not that it cools the air, but that it dries it. With higher moisture content in the air, it needs to run more, so it needs to be set for a lower temperature in order to kick on often enough. Normally, I don't turn it on in the daytime until the indoor temperature reaches about 85, and then I set it to hold around 80-82, which is fine. It's always off with windows open at night.

There has been a recorded dew point in New Orleans of 93 degrees...We often have dew points here in the middle 80s

[Lamplight]

Originally Posted by NewOrleanstopics

There has been a recorded dew point in New Orleans of 93 degrees...We often have dew points here in the middle 80s

Kind of makes me light headed just reading that! It's 10am here in middle TN, and our dew point is currently 74, and the heat index is 101. At least it's cooler than last summer!

[Tennesseestorm]

Our (at my house in extreme northeast Tennessee) dewpoint right now is 77° @ 11:46pm, (with a temperature of 80°) and outside is not comfortable! I am in the A/C enjoying it.