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Low Humidity


bubba

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Summer is here in South Florida. The Gulf Stream is about 90 degrees. Our low temperatures are angling towards the low 80's.The most difficult aspect ,however, is the relative humidity.When my wife and family travel West, one of the most enjoyable features is the lack of humidity. 110 degrees F feels like 85 degrees F here. My question is : Do you realize how nice it is when you live year round in that environment? How does it feel when you come to Florida? Is there anything bad you can say about the lack of humidity?

What you look for is what is looking

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I lived with humidity the first 27 years of my life, in Missouri and Texas. I've lived in SoCal the last 20. After only 2 years here, I was shocked by the humidity when I went to Dallas for a business trip. If I wasn't inside with the AC on, I was sweating nonstop.

I'm glad for the lack of humidity, but what I miss is the heat. Near the coast, it's too cool to eat dinner out on the patio most of the summer. It's June, and we won't hit 70F some days.

Zone 9b/10a, Sunset Zone 22

7 miles inland. Elevation 120ft (37m)

Average annual low temp: 30F (-1C)

Average annual rainfall: 8" (20cm)

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Oside... just take a short trip out to Riverside if you need some heat.... We got Plenty!

It's been 90's all week... with forutnately a little gloom in the morning that keeps it from being even hotter.

Of course, the upside is that the garden is FINALLY starting to look a little more presentable after the winter.

Dave

 

Riverside, CA Z 9b

1700 ft. elevation

approx 40 miles inland

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Maybe it's because I've lived in the west my whole life, but I enjoy hot, humid weather.  I love being outside in the tropics, and I hate how dry the air is out here...

Jack Sayers

East Los Angeles

growing cold tolerant palms halfway between the equator and the arctic circle...

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I was raised in semi desert central Montana.  When I go there my skin feels dry, my lips dry out, I sometimes get nose bleeds, and my eyes are dry.  When I lived in South Florida I always enjoyed the summer.  I guess I like to sweat.  Here in Amazonia about the driest it every gets is around 50 percent relative humidity.  Manaus is particularly humid feeling because there is so little wind.  Our driest weather is the hottest when it rains very little.  That is around 100 to 105 F with 50 to 60 percent RH in the month of September normally.   I guess you would say we have a weather pattern pretty similar to South Florida in August, except it lasts 12 months.  But, the nights tend to be less muggy and more comfortable than South Florida in August, especially away from the heat island effect of the city. The night temperatures are always between 72 and 74 F, unless we get some freak cold front from the South where they may get into the sixties F.   I love our night time temperatures.  They are the best out on the river with a full moon having a cool drink.

But, then I never have to worry about a cold front.

dk

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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A certain amount of humidity is very healthy. Too much can obviously be very unpleasant but too little is not good either. Having lived in S. Florida, SoCal and now Hawaii I have experienced all 3 locations. Summer in SoFL is brutal and the combination of heat and humidity very unpleasant. Winter in SoFL on the other hand (except for those occasional cold fronts) is as close to perfect as it gets, both temp and humidity wise. SoCal for the most part is fairly pleasant but when the humidity drops below 20-25% (and sometimes below 10%) it is NOT pleasant. Here in Hawaii, for the most part the humidity/temp combination is pleasant enough that most people in our area do NOT have a/c in their houses (nor heat obviously).

I'll never forget a trip I made to Sweden in April about 10 years ago. Even though that's where I grew up I had forgotten the low humidity during the winter & spring. During the week there my wife and I had serious problems with skin & lips cracking. VERY unpleasant. We were very happy to get back to the humidity in Hawaii and heal our wounds!!

Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm

 

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(elHoagie @ Jun. 06 2007,02:59)

QUOTE
Maybe it's because I've lived in the west my whole life, but I enjoy hot, humid weather.  I love being outside in the tropics, and I hate how dry the air is out here...

I'm with you Jack, but here in Brisbane isn't anywhere near as humid as Darwin or Cairns, especially Darwin in November/December where it can be a killer.

Happy Gardening

Cheers,

Wal

Queensland, Australia.

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I enjoy our low humidity.  When we get those humid summer days, it's just alittle too muggy for me to endure for very long....and I love the heat too, just keep it dry.  I've visited Indiana, Missouri, and South Florida during summertime and boy, it was much to humid for me.  Now that I'm into palms though, I appreciate the humidity and it seems that I can tolerate it (what little we have) better now knowing my palms are enjoying it.

Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

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I enjoy seeing ferns thriving, orchids on trees, and the roots of Banyans and philodendrons growing 8-10 ft through the air on their way to the ground. I love lush Ti plants, and palms with nice green tips. Without the humidity, you get none of that.

animated-volcano-image-0010.gif.71ccc48bfc1ec622a0adca187eabaaa4.gif

Kona, on The Big Island
Hawaii - Land of Volcanoes

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(bgl @ Jun. 05 2007,13:18)

QUOTE

Having lived in Thailand for 16 years, I still love the humidity. Yes, sometime it's just very uncomfortable. But I'll take the humidity any day v.s. low humidity conditions we have in SoCal. Don't know about everyone else, but I have trouble breathing in teen humidity. There's just something in the humid air that's soothing to me.

Diamond Bar, CA

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Yeah, give me humidity any day...I don't like the cracked lips and skin deal either, or the dry eyes and nostrils.

A little bit of perspiration never hurt anybody...

Daryl

Gold Coast, Queensland Latitude 28S. Mild, Humid Subtropical climate. Rainfall - not consistent enough!

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I love the humidity of Florida. Of course, I grew up in Indiana where many a summer afternoon is 98 to 102F with extreme humidity. It is rarely over 92 degrees where I live here in FL. Almost always a cooling sea breeze by mid morning or early afternoon. Then there are the afternoon thunderstorms that tend to cool things off a bit in the evening. There is no doubt that there is high humidity here in the summer, but it can be pretty dry the rest of the time. May this year was very hot and dry. It was nice, but I missed the humidity and so did my palms. And after cold fronts in winter can be dangerously dry. My weather station logged plenty of dewpoints in the high teens and low 20's this winter but dewpoints that low are usually not that long lasting. I am going to be visiting San Francisco this July. How is the weather there in July?

Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

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Every Santa Ana brings with it single digit afternoon humidity. At least for my garden, it was the 2 months of Santa Ana that preceded the January 14 freeze that made it so harsh.

I've spent the last 2 weekends giving every one of my palms it's own drip line, in addition to the existing risers and pop-up heads. Knowing what I know now, I'd rather overwater than underwater.

Does anyone else find themselves endlessy tweaking their irrigation?

Zone 9b/10a, Sunset Zone 22

7 miles inland. Elevation 120ft (37m)

Average annual low temp: 30F (-1C)

Average annual rainfall: 8" (20cm)

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(osideterry @ Jun. 05 2007,18:29)

QUOTE
Every Santa Ana brings with it single digit afternoon humidity. At least for my garden, it was the 2 months of Santa Ana that preceded the January 14 freeze that made it so harsh.

I've spent the last 2 weekends giving every one of my palms it's own drip line, in addition to the existing risers and pop-up heads. Knowing what I know now, I'd rather overwater than underwater.

Does anyone else find themselves endlessy tweaking their irrigation?

Hi Terry

And yes, I can't seem to relax worrying if my palms are getting enough water  :o  This past winter was the worse with the severe drought and frequent strong santa ana winds.  I know some day the cost of water will prevent me from irrigating so heavily but I must with the kind of plants/palms I grow  :(

I agree with what Bo wrote about Florida.  I visit Miami each winter & love it since it reminds me of Santa Monica in summer [fairly warm/slightly humid].  

Having been raised in the Central Valley, I know that being outside in summer is very uncomfortable unless a good wind is blowing.  But that's dry heat & feels like a blow torch [esp in the low desert] so you don't go outside until the sun sets.

Living in Los Angeles means it is comfortable just about all the time though the heat mixed with moisture off the ocean can be unpleasant.  Always know when it is overcast at the beach because the air quality gets horrible inland.  Hazy smoggy & somewhat hot [near 90F] days are fairly common during summer & the plants seem happy even if my eyes are watering  :(

I love the warmth that winter santa ana's bring esp the nights if it isn't too windy.  On the other hand, last summer was hotter than normal & much more humid than is common in California.  All the plants thrived except some leaf burn here and there.

Hawaii is the best climate IMO.

Los Angeles/Pasadena

34° 10' N   118° 18' W

Elevation: 910'/278m

January Average Hi/Lo: 69F/50F

July Average Hi/Lo: 88F/66F

Average Rainfall: 19"/48cm

USDA 11/Sunset 23

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?MTW

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Here in the humid equatorial tropics one tends to bathe a lot.  The norm in Manaus is to shower a minimum of 2 times a day, but frequently this is 3 or 4 times a day.  It is intersting how one becomes aclimatized to where they live.  When I was in South Florida in May it seemed rather cool to me.  One thing that was strange was all the wind.  Here we only have wind when a thunderstorm strikes.  Personally I think that dry heat is just uncomfortable heat.  It is like the difference between a vapor sauna and a dry sauna.  In one you can breath very well (the vapor sauna), in the other you can not.  And, tropical plants just love it here.  I guess that is why it is a Rainforest.

dk

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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Give me humidity anyday... skin is healthier, I can breathe better, the air feels alive... I was out in Vegas 2 summers ago - 105-110 and no humidity... I thought I would dry up like a sun-dried tomato (of course it didn't help that I was jogging the entire length of the strip).. but I really do love hot, humid weather.. And here on Long Island, in the middle of July, when it's 95 with 90% humidity and my bananas are growing like crazy, I'm happy.

Bobby

Long Island, New York  Zone 7a (where most of the southern Floridians are originally from)

AVERAGE TEMPS

Summer Highs  : 85-90f/day,  68-75f / night

Winter Lows     : 38-45f/day,   25-35f / night

Extreme Low    : 10-20f/day,    0-10f / night   but VERY RARE

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We have a little joke we play on visitors to Houston in the summertime.  We tell them: "Be careful.  Don't stay outside for more than 30 minutes, tops.  If you stay out longer than that, you'll start to mildew......."

Steve

USDA Zone 9a/b, AHS Heat Zone 9, Sunset Zone 28

49'/14m above sea level, 25mi/40km to Galveston Bay

Long-term average rainfall 47.84"/1215mm

Near-term (7yr) average rainfall 55.44"/1410mm

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Enjoy humidity so long as the temp doesn't get too hot [above 90F].  But air conditioning is an absolute, period.  Trying to sleep on a steamy night w/ nothing more than fans is not my idea of comfort.  :laugh:

Minimums in coastal California are still running below 60F for the most part; cooler than anywhere in the South & even the Northeast.  And why our palms are always in slow grow :o

Los Angeles/Pasadena

34° 10' N   118° 18' W

Elevation: 910'/278m

January Average Hi/Lo: 69F/50F

July Average Hi/Lo: 88F/66F

Average Rainfall: 19"/48cm

USDA 11/Sunset 23

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?MTW

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Funny I was just talking to a buddy of mine about this very subject. I would take humidity over dry anytime. Has anyone spent a couple weeks in Vegas in the Summer? After that I could take anything Fla could send.

San Marcos CA

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Summer in FL "feels" just as hot or hotter than anwhere in the southwest in my opinion, including Vegas.  Lived for 5 yrs in FL and 7 in TX, so I know about heat and humidity.  Try walking outdoors in FL after a summer T-Storm and see how long it takes to sweat profusely.  Try about .05 seconds.  Like you just walked into a Sauna.  Now keep that same feeling 24/7 all summer long, with no relief, even at night.  Walk outside on a so called "hot" 100-105F day in the desert with no humidity and you will hardly sweat at all.  Sure, it's hot, but far from intolerable.  A 92-95F Florida day is BY FFFAAAAARRRRR hotter than a 105F day in wherever, southwestern US.  The so called 100F hot days are downright wimpy compared to to FL heat and humidity in my opinion.  Desert heat just feels like a hot hair dryer blowing at you, but no humidity.  At 92F in Fl, the heat index could be 105 easily  105F in the desert, the heat index may actually only be 100F.  The occasional days it can get up to 95-98F in FL the heat index is off the charts, approaching 115-120F.  Suggest anyone who thinks otherwise to spend a summer in for example, Orlando FL for the summer, your mind might be changed.

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(osideterry @ Jun. 05 2007,11:31)

QUOTE
I lived with humidity the first 27 years of my life, in Missouri and Texas. I've lived in SoCal the last 20. After only 2 years here, I was shocked by the humidity when I went to Dallas for a business trip. If I wasn't inside with the AC on, I was sweating nonstop.

Dallas is quite humid, but now where near as humid as Houston or even San Antonio, in my opinion.  The closer to the gulf in TX the more humid it is.  Houston is right on gulf (well within 40 miles).  SA, 140 miles away from gulf, Dallas 300 miles away.  Dallas does get a lot hotter and more 100s, than for example, Houston.

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Dry heat does what wet heat won't, make my skin crack, my lips bleed, and my nose fills with boogers of blood.  My eyes get dry as well.  We had low humidity (like 14% or some crazy thing) recently and I was hurriedly looking for my sarcophagus as the job of mummification was nearly complete.  Think resurrection fern.

That wave of heavy heat after a thunderstorm separates the cave dwellers from the pastoralists.

I grew up more or less without a/c (Grandma's house had it) and while it was sticky sleep I still slept.  When I went to college and lived alone I set the a/c at 80F, seemed fine then.  My girlfriend keeps the house like Superman's Fortress of Solitude, like 76F.  I have developed a tolerance for such arctic temperatures but it was not easy.  

Keep those dry killing zephyrs away from me, else I go the way of the Crystostachys at Christmas time; a dry withered husk of kindling.

Alan (nearly hydrated)

Tampa, Florida

Zone - 10a

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I understand what some of you are saying, but I have spent months in Costa Rica and it is far better than the Southwest. I don't mind sweating as opposed to always so dry that you get what Alan listed. From a palm grower perspective there is no comparison.

San Marcos CA

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When I have spent some summertime vacations in the center of Florida, I decided the only use of the center part of the state was to prevent the Atlantic from crashing into the Gulf!!!  :P

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

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Somtimes I forget about inland Florida. It is hotter inland for sure. Being near the coasts makes a big difference as the sea breezes do cool things off or at least keep it from getting brutally hot. Another aspect of the heat in central and south FL (and in Texas at the same latitudes) is that the sun actually is hotter. Believe it or not I can feel a difference in the intensity of the sun from Tallahassee to Tampa to Miami during any given season. And of course truly tropical latitudes like in Hawaii and Central America, the sun is even hotter. I remember going to El Salvador in December, the sun was incredibly hot compared to what I am used to. I know this was a little off the topic of humidity. Sorry.

Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

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Yes, people say FL doesn't get that hot, but actually inland FL gets very hot, close to 100F quite often.  It might be 92F in Tampa, but in Lakeland just a little ways inland, it might be 97-98F, all with high humidity.  

I can remember a couple years ago during the summer, I was making a trip along I-10 to FL.  There was a serious heat wave in the upper 90s.  I stopped off at a motel in Biloxi, MS.  I remember checking the Weather channel and the air temp was in the upper 90s but the heat index was something ridiculous like 118 or 120F.  You could not hardly move.  The humidity was like a huge blanket hovering over you.  Granted that doesn't happen all the time, but I don't even think Phoenix gets heat index's that high.  Usually desert heat has very little humidity and the "real feel" temp is actually less than the actual temp.

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I grew up in southern Louisiana until I was 23 and moved out to Redondo Beach, CA for four years. I have since moved back to Texas and can honestly say So Cal weather is better than sliced bread. The humidity here is very heavy and if you have to do anything outdoors from May to September you will be drenched. The only thing I can say is that my wife and I often comment about how much better our skin feels in the south. But hey, I'm not shy, I'll take the moisturizer and low humidity anyday.

My all-time favorite "low-humidity" location, based on climate, would have to be Las Vegas!  :P

One other major point is how condusive the hot/humid environment is toward mosquitos :angry: ! The worst creation on earth! ugh

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Here in our central valley its dry, hot and dusty in the summer and cold and foggy in the winter.  Overall though a very livable Mediteranean climate.

Ive spent some time in most of the places mentioned here and some that haven't been mentioned...a year in Tuscaloosa, Alabama... Macon, Georgia for short time when I was young, and Jacksonville, FL a number of times.

Maybe it was bad timing on my part but every visit Ive made to Dallas, Texas was a test of my heat indurance.  I remember seeing a chart somewhere that showed the staggering number of days the Dallas/Ft Worth area spends over 100F. Along with the above mentioned humidity... it gets my nod as the most uncomfortable climate in the U.S.

In a related topic I read an article by a sportswriter that made the claim that the reason the Texas Ranger baseball club fails to make the playoffs each year is because of the oppressive heat and humidity...specifically it's toll on the pitching staff!  LOL   :P

Now, on the other side of the coin...my family and I visited Hawaii (Oahu) this past January.  The daily average high temperature was about 72F with lovely breezes.  The average high in July is about 78F with those same lovely breezes.

Glenn

Modesto, California

 

Sunset Zone 14   USDA 9b

 

Low Temp. 19F/-7C 12-20-1990         

 

High Temp. 111F/43C 07-23-2006

 

Annual Average Precipitation 13.12 inches/yr.

 

             

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Most people in the UK seem to complain when the humidity is high and when I say high, bare in mind that the dewpoint in the UK is rarely over 15°C/59°F.  Supposedly 40-60% is comfortable with 55% being optimal for human health, but I'm sure it is more personal than that.  In the winter here, well everything other than summer really, my eczema plays up, partly due to the temperatures, but I'm sure the dewpoint is the more important factor.  I never used to like heat, which I previously associated with humidity, but after visiting St. Lucia and spending the first week sweating constantly, my body seemed to adapt and the second week was very pleasant.  Having been back in the UK for three years, my body seems incapable of adapting back to the UK climate.  Currently in daytime temperatures of low 20'sC/low 70'sF, I'm still wearing 3 or 4 jumpers all of the time, while most people are in shorts and t-shirts.  It's most annoying, but the short answer is, I love heat and humidity, the more of each the better.  I often go out to my polytunnel, turn off the fans and spray the plants and then let myself bake for a while as the temperature and humidity rise.  I'm quite often in there with 30°C/86°F plus temperatures and 80% humidity and still wearing four jumpers.  I used to find it oppressive and now it somehow still feels the same, but I really like it.  My wife has trouble breathing in high humidity, as well as a tendancy to faint and I would also say that breathing is more difficult in very high humidity, a bit like at high altitude, but I even enjoy the slight extra effort required for breathing.  It's not really noticable when you are in it all of the time, but when you go from a low humidity environment into a high one, like entering a humid greenhouse, etc., the breathing thing is quite noticable, although generally only for the first few minutes.

I so need to move.  I don't like the weather here ever, even when it's hot, it's rarely hot enough, never humid enough and when it's cold, I have the joy of spending my nights working in a freezing cold warehouse that is frequently colder than the outside temperature, trying to use my hands which are covered in painful, blistered and cracked eczema.  The UK is just bad for my health and my mental state.

]

Corey Lucas-Divers

Dorset, UK

Ave Jul High 72F/22C (91F/33C Max)

Ave Jul Low 52F/11C (45F/7C Min)

Ave Jan High 46F/8C (59F/15C Max)

Ave Jan Low 34F/1C (21F/-6C Min)

Ave Rain 736mm pa

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I agree with my friend Jack- high humidity is fine - but its actually more sweat draining than the summer aridity of the Med.

Still its an expenience and I sure learned my lesson all right  the hard way.

Start the water even before you get outa the air conditioned hotel is the motto.

Regardez all,

Juan

Juan

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I guess like it humid or not is just another one of those taste factors of the human species.   People around here rarely adjust too well elwhere.  They like it hot and humid.  And, for the most part that is exactly what it is.  Air conditioning is not a universal fact of life here abouts, but people get along well enough.  As I mentioned above our norm here is a low of 72 F and a high of from 88 F to 105 F.  The humidy goes up and down during the day.  The hotter it is with sun the lower the humidity.  Today is sort of an average day during much of the year.  The difference in the dry season - that is from August to October is that the high frequently gets over 100 F.  The lows are always around 72 F.  I put the MSN weather at the moment below.  If you notice by the sunrise and sunset time you will see that it is getting close to the shortest day of the year, that is sun up at 6 am, sun down at 6 pm.  Winter and summer mean nothing here.  What does is if it rains or if it does not.  Personally I believe tham many of you would not get along too well in our climate.  But, it suites me just fine.  And, I have a very good A/C unit to sleep with.   Since we have very few mosquitos being outside at night is a real pleasure.

dk

June9MAO.jpg

Don Kittelson

 

LIFE ON THE RIO NEGRO

03° 06' 07'' South 60° 01' 30'' West

Altitude 92 Meters / 308 feet above sea level

1,500 kms / 932 miles to the mouth of the Amazon River

 

Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil - A Cidade da Floresta

Where the world´s largest Tropical Rainforest embraces the Greatest Rivers in the World. .

82331.gif

 

Click here to visit Amazonas

amazonas2.jpg

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do you san diego people remember the one day last summer, i think it was late july or early august? That was the biggest mix of hot and humid i had every felt. I was soaked in sweat and it was awful. The ironic thing was that was the day i went to the my grandparents house in san bernadino but since they lack humidity it was pleasurable.

sd mannnn

plz ignore my awful grammar

apparently zone 9b or 10a i donno

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It felt like the humidity was way up in the east bay today. I was over at diablo foods, and it felt very humid. I love going back to florida, and feel like your swimmin in the air. I love tropical humid nights and days. Its the best feeling, especially when you get out of a plane and feel that humidity in the whatsitcalled.

Meteorologist and PhD student in Climate Science

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Give me humidity any day. I think Perth and the SW has more summer humidity than normal, especially in the last few years. Generally if we get a low humidity episode it's quickly followed by an on shore breeze and humidity goes sky high. I watch the weather across the country almost all the time and last summer we had many times when Perth humidity was equal too or higher than SE QLD. In general though we are drier than the east, but not as dry as some think. It's not a desert along the coast.

regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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(Tyrone @ Jun. 10 2007,07:20)

QUOTE
Give me humidity any day. I think Perth and the SW has more summer humidity than normal, especially in the last few years. Generally if we get a low humidity episode it's quickly followed by an on shore breeze and humidity goes sky high. I watch the weather across the country almost all the time and last summer we had many times when Perth humidity was equal too or higher than SE QLD. In general though we are drier than the east, but not as dry as some think. It's not a desert along the coast.

regards

Tyrone

Helpful observation, Tyrone  :D

And yet another description of the Mediterranean biome [ie. broad-leafed evergreen forests].  :P  Of the world's 8 major biological communities the smallest biome [only 2% of earth's surface] is the climate of Southwest Australia/coastal bands along the Mediterranean//South Africa/Chile/California. Considered the most benign of the climates   :cool:

BTW, have noticed that the Australian weather services also report values in farhenheit  ???

Los Angeles/Pasadena

34° 10' N   118° 18' W

Elevation: 910'/278m

January Average Hi/Lo: 69F/50F

July Average Hi/Lo: 88F/66F

Average Rainfall: 19"/48cm

USDA 11/Sunset 23

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/queryF?MTW

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Lately we have  been in the 93-95F range with dewpoints of 73-74F and heat index well into the 100s.  Air temp is supposed to be 97F on Tue, so heat index will probably be 105-110F.  Love it!

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Humidity's crazy this time of year here.  you can almost see little blobs of water floating in the air...keeps the eyes and skin from getting itchy, though.

Mike in zone 6 Missouruh

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(happ @ Jun. 10 2007,13:35)

QUOTE
BTW, have noticed that the Australian weather services also report values in farhenheit  ???

That I did not know.

regards

Tyrone

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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having lived in New Jersey for 30 years, mass. for 3, and arizona for 9 years, I can say there are things I really like about each.  Mass summers are the best, very comfortable near the ocean.  I definitely prefer the arizona weather for me overall, but the low humidity makes growing things much more difficult.  The dry climate is mostly very pleasant for humans as the body mechanisms for cooling itself(evaporative cooling of sweat) work best here in the dry.  Evaporative cooling of surface skin is very efficient here, one shot of the hose in the dry season will have you feeling "cold" when its 105 degrees.  Pools are very useful and pleasant here for 5 months a year.  Even running a sprinkler in the back yard at the end of the day cuts the heat alot(10 degrees?).

I have been to FLA in the summer, its nasty on the respiratiory system, I just couldnt get myself to exercise, tended to lay around alot.  AZ is a much better place to excercise outside(in the mornings especially).  If you want to get out of the AZ heat, often you can just get in the shade and get wet.  Otherwise, a 1 hour drive puts you at +4K elevation, and minus 25 degrees temperature, so you can escape the that that way.  When I visited my aunt in FLA, we just went inside to AC when it got hot.  But, I'll bet my palms would much prefer florida weather.  What I found about heat is that its your skin temp that determines how hot you feel, not the ambient temperature of the air.  If you have low hunidity, evaporative cooling will be very useful in keeping skin temps down.  If its humid, evaporation is slow, cooling much less effective.

Coastal california is very nice, like to visit the northern coast especially in summer, its just gorgeous in beauty and in weather.

One final word, the AZ sun is very potent, much more potent in heatng your body(70% water) than any coastal California area, or florida.  The lack of humidity/clouds means that sunlight that heats water(you are 70% water) is not filtered at all by the atmosphere.  You need to drink alot of water(1 gal/day) to prevent from being dehydrated here.  Humidity in the atmosphere is mostly less than 15% in april-july.  I've seen 6% several times this spring.  If you work in direct mid day to late day sun in the hot season, it will take you down.  There is a reason that people take siestas in the middle of the day, the sun is too hot, it will cook you if you dont seek out shade.

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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Unfortunately, we Floridians must carry on all our normal activities, including exercise,in the high humidity from June to Mid- December.It leaves us with two alternatives: (1)keep going or(2)die trying. Or a third! Head West!

What you look for is what is looking

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