Home is where the humidity is.

[GrantRobertson]

I know most of you appreciate the drier mountain or dessert air. However, after a bad reaction to DayQuill back in the 90s, my sinuses can't handle dry air. Anything below 50% for any length of time causes my sinuses to swell up to the point that I can't breath. I live in Austin right now and I am about to take a gun to my head, just so I can make a bigger hole to breath through. So, I am looking for areas that maintain a higher humidity during the winter. (I don't have to worry about finding high humidity during the summer.) As I am not a huge fan of cold either, I would like to find places that also don't get below 40 F at night.

I'm guessing Florida would be good. In fact, I'm guessing anywhere along the gulf coast would be good. But I don't know for sure. I'm also curious about how far inland one can go and still have the higher humidity and temperatures. What about the west and east coasts? How far north can one go, in the winter, and still not get below 40 F at night?

I do plan to do some research on some weather sites and on citydata.com. However, I would like to start with some suggestions from people who have actually lived in these areas. 

Thanks

 

[SoulRaven]

Generally the West Coast is low humidity, so Gulf Coast and Lower Atlantic would be my guess.

 

[SoulRaven]

http://www.plantrealflorida.org/plant-communities/

 

[minimotos95]

Personally I'm a fan of the PNW. I lived in the SeaTacOly area for 6 years and despite the humidity and rain rust isn't as much of an issue as you would think, nowhere near as bad as in the northern Midwest.
I think most of the PNW can and does get too cold for your requirements but the Oregon coast might fit the bill. Maybe Patrick or another member from the area can chime in

FL sounds like a good option.

Checkout this map
http://www.usairnet.com/weather/maps/current/relative-humidity/

 

[GrantRobertson]

Personally I'm a fan of the PNW. I lived in the SeaTacOly area for 6 years and despite the humidity and rain rust isn't as much of an issue as you would think, nowhere near as bad as in the northern Midwest.
I think most of the PNW can and does get too cold for your requirements but the Oregon coast might fit the bill. Maybe Patrick or another member from the area can chime in

FL sounds like a good option.

Checkout this map
http://www.usairnet.com/weather/maps/current/relative-humidity/

Yes, I really love the PNW. I've lived up there twice. But it definitely snows up there.

What I need to find is a map showing the minimum humidity for each area. I'll give the old Google a try.

 

[sushidog]

I live by New Orleans. It doesn't get much more humid than that. For instance, right now it is relatively dry here (It hasn't rained for a couple days) the RH is now down to 70%.

Chip

 

[Bdog1]

If you love humidity, Florida is for you. 50% is as dry as it gets here on the West coast, below 40*once in a while when the cold fronts roll through.

 

[LeeRevell]

The upper Gulf Coast varies, between Bay County (Panama City) and Wakulla/Franklin Counties is my AO. Tallahassee is about twenty miles inland. Winter temps average mid thirties to mid fifties at night, dry and rainy respectively. Humidity gets down into the thirties in drier times, or can be in the nineties when raining. We are somewhat more protected from the coastal storms up here. It rains more on the coast.
When the northern states have there brutal snow storms, a couple days later we get the tail end of it, dropping our temps, sometimes into the twenties. On rare occasions we see the teens.
Summers can be very muggy and humid, especially in rainy times. We fight mold and mildew in the summer.
But overall, I like this area.

 

[Lostinspace]

I live about 50-60 miles from the coast, Panama City Beach. Right now humidity is 60-70%. Temp 60-70 during the day and goes down at night, most nights 38-45. We get the occasional cold snap. A couple of years ago went down to the teens, but that's the exception.

I lived for 32 years on Merritt Island, the Space Coast area.  Loved it only saw one wimpy hurricane. We just boarded up and slept through it.  There the humidity never ever got below 75-80. Temps never got to freezing except maybe one or two nights in February.  The temps during the day were always attenuated by the sea breezes. It would rain most afternoons. I loved it there. The wifey wanted to move, so NW Florida is where we ended up. Now she's passed and it's just me and Sugar.

It's actually hotter here in NW Florida than Merritt Island. And more hay fever problems up here too, at least for me. 

Wade in NW Florida

 

[GrantRobertson]

The upper Gulf Coast varies, between Bay County (Panama City) and Wakulla/Franklin Counties is my AO.  Tallahassee is about twenty miles inland.  Winter temps average mid thirties to mid fifties at night, dry and rainy respectively.  Humidity gets down into the thirties in drier times, or can be in the nineties when raining.  We are somewhat more protected from the coastal storms up here.  It rains more on the coast.
When the northern states have there brutal snow storms, a couple days later we get the tail end of it, dropping our temps, sometimes into the twenties.  On rare occasions we see the teens.
Summers can be very muggy and humid, especially in rainy times.  We fight mold and mildew in the summer.
But overall, I like this area.

So, you're in Tallahassee?

Wow! that far south it still gets down to the twenties? Is that because it is far enough east that it still gets affected by the Atlantic weather patterns? I guess you already answered my question by saying that you get the tail end of eastern snow storms.

 

[GrantRobertson]

I live about 50-60 miles from the coast, Panama City Beach.

Thanks, Wade. My dad actually owns a house in Panama City Beach, FL. He's not living there now, as he moved in with my sister. The only two times I have been there were just after a hurricane and then just before one. I ended up driving all night in torrential rain to be able to get out in time to avoid getting trapped there past the end of my vacation. So, I haven't had much of an opportunity to see what PCB is like when there is NOT a hurricane. Though it did seem nice.

 

[LeeRevell]

So, you're in Tallahassee?

Wow! that far south it still gets down to the twenties? Is that because it is far enough east that it still gets affected by the Atlantic weather patterns? I guess you already answered my question by saying that you get the tail end of eastern snow storms.

The coldest I have camped here was 17 degrees!  But that is the exception.  This week we will have a night down to 29 or so.  My side of town (western) tends to be a tad warmer, as the south and east are lower, so get colder.  A buddy down south ten miles in Woodville runs four to eight degrees colder than my place!  Even small elevation changes work wonders.  I tell folks that I live on a 'volcanic ridge', so stay somewhat warmer......   Hahaha.  A play on the mythical "Wakulla Volcano" some folks actually believe exists in the woods south of town. 
Tallahassee weather is the type where you run you heat at night, then crank up the AC during the day.
The nicest thing about winter here is it drives off the skeeters and gnats!

 

[Theadyn]

For what it's worth, I grew up near Corpus Christi, TX, and lived there again for 5 years between 2007-2012. For sure humid, very rarely below 40 degrees. And LOTS of Mexican food. lol

 

[Matt71]

I put my GoogleFu to work for you

According to this MAP, you should be good anywhere east of the Mississippi if you just want to get above 50%.

This Page shows the average and relative humidity by state for mornings and afternoons

Might not be exactly what you're looking for, but it should help.

 

[mockturtle]

Coastal WA seldom sees snow. If you don't mind a lot of rain and very little sun, you might like it.

 

[GrantRobertson]

According to this MAP, you should be good anywhere east of the Mississippi if you just want to get above 50%.

Thanks, Matt. Unfortunately, those are averages. I know that a lot of those areas get well below 50% in the winter.

I'll dig around and find something. It will be a long time before I am able to move anywhere, anyway. I figure, over the years, people may add to this thread as they experience various areas.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Coastal WA seldom sees snow. If you don't mind a lot of rain and very little sun, you might like it.

Are you talking about south of Olympia? I was stationed on Whidbey Island in the winter of 1985 and there was plenty of snow. I tried living in Olympia from Feb to April of 2014 and I loved the area and the humidity, but I think it would be a bit too cold in the winter.

 

[mockturtle]

Are you talking about south of Olympia? I was stationed on Whidbey Island in the winter of 1985 and there was plenty of snow. I tried living in Olympia from Feb to April of 2014 and I loved the area and the humidity, but I think it would be a bit too cold in the winter.

I was thinking more of the coast--literally, on the ocean.  There are plenty of campgrounds open in the winter if you like rain and high wind.  (I don't).  Some camp there just to experience the storms.  This holds for the Oregon coast, too.

 

[compassrose]

Go to www.wunderground.com or www.weather.com do a search for the towns you find interesting. You can watch them (or look at the history) and see what the humidity is. It is just way too dry in NM for me. I miss humidity. BTW, I have seen it snow (late 74 or early 75) in South FL (Ft Pierce) on the east coast. My mother has seen it get so cold that the mullet in the rivers froze in the water. Unusual weather but possible.

 

[GrantRobertson]

Well, after a grueling hour of fu-ing my Google, I was able to find these two maps:
[img=300x200]http://www.eldoradocountyweather.co...ty/Mean Relative Humidity (January).png[/img]
which cover December and January (what I suppose are the driest months). However, these maps are made from data from the late 90s, so over 15 years old.

The only other humidity maps that I can find are current maps, which show things being a heck of a lot more dry than in the past. 

So far, it is looking like the southern gulf coast of Texas, the west coast of Florida, and anywhere on the west coast north of LA. As I prefer the west coast, I will start looking for the area with the warmest winter temperatures along there. Though I am sure it is a safe bet that the farther south you go the warmer it gets.