Dry vs humid cold weather...

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LWalker

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Just a week ago was traveling the west. Moab, UT to be exact.... I spent about 2 weeks in that area experiencing temperatures from the 70s down to 30s..

This las week I came to the midwest (KS, MO, OK and today Arkansas).... eventhough temperatures have been in the 40s & 50s it does feel colder than same temperature in dry areas.

Do you agree humid cold feels colder than dry cold? Or am I just going crazy.. :)

Also, drying stuff (towels and clothers) is a challenge.

I'm looking forward head back west after thxgiving!!!

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Dry cold and dry heat are both easier to tolerate than the humid version. Wet cold cuts through me like a knife no matter what I am wearing.
 
My last permanent address was in MO... if/when I settle again... it will we on a dry climate region!! :)



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Water molecules have a higher heat capacity than the gas molecules in air, so humid air can take heat away from your skin faster.
 
Spaceman Spiff said:
Water molecules have a higher heat capacity than the gas molecules in air, so humid air can take heat away from your skin faster.

???????????????????
 
Thats right!!!!.. cold is not incresed... heat it lost!

Cold = the lack of heat

Liked how you clarified it

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yep I used to live in Huntington Beach. I would be out in the desert when it was in the 20's and 30's at night it was cold but I was fine. I would come home and it would be in the 50's at night and I would be freezing for a couple of days. it was all in the humidity, under 20% in the desert and in the 70% range next to the ocean. highdesertranger
 
highdesertranger said:
yep I  used to live in Huntington Beach.  I would be out in the desert when it was in the 20's and 30's at night it was cold but I was fine.  I would come home and it would be in the 50's at night and I would be freezing for a couple of days.  it was all in the humidity,  under 20% in the desert and in the 70% range next to the ocean.  highdesertranger

That's the unexpected aspect of temp and humidity.  The less the moisture, the more extreme the highs and lows (all other things being equal, sun, elevations, etc.) The higher the humidity the lower the temp in the summer and the higher in the winter. All that weight in water resists being heated or cooled. Yet, it feels colder and warmer where there is more moisture.
 
There is no doubt that this is true. I grew up in MO, lived there and in South Korea for years before moving to Southern California and settling in Colorado. Our daytime humidity is often down to around 10-20%, which helps tremendously and makes both heat and cold feel less extreme.

Here in Colorado, it was 40 today, yet I was in shorts and had my sleeves pushed up as I worked around outside doing projects and chores. Similarly, in the summer, even temps in the 90s feel relatively nice, especially in the shade and one sweats a lot less. We almost never use our AC at our house for instance, instead turning on the attic fan at night, then closing up the house during the day.
 
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