Temps and Humidity

[RvNaut]

The plan.... avoid humidity...  the four corners area I know are dry.... and I will be able to change altitude to moderate temps .. I've traveled all of coastal Tx through all of Fl and a lot of the east coast and the midwest ( which is really central at best)   I prefer air that isn't  like dog breath...  

Does the dry belt extend north up through the Dakotas and west to the coastal ranges in OR and WA? 

I am hoping to McGuiver my own swamp coolers for the dry-hots and plan to avoid the drippy-hots.. but that is a a different forum...  

 

[MrNoodly]

Most of the West has low humidity year round, except for west of the coastal ranges.

 

[jacqueg]

 west to the coastal ranges in OR and WA? 

Sometimes. I was in the Olympics four weeks ago, and it got muggy.

Bu last week in Astoria, it was very pleasant.

 

[highdesertranger]

I am in Eastern Oregon. except for the occasion thundershower it's very dry now. however it was a very wet spring but it never got hot enough for humidity to be a problem. in fact the whole summer has been cool. no need for a swamp cooler where I am at. highdesertranger

 

[hugemoth]

You can get an idea of what to expect humidity wise by what kind of vegetation grows in that area. Where there is sage brush its not often humid.

 

[winterwanderer]

Those of us who are dryland acclimated will find a 55 F dewpoint to be "muggy". Whereas folks used to mugginess will find a 65 F dewpoint comfortably dry. Hence you will find varying subjective definitions of "humid". Weatherspark.com defines dewpoints over 60 F as "humid" and dewpoints over 70 F as "oppressive".

The eastern prairie regions regularly experience bouts of extreme humidity (70+ F dewpoints). On occasion, the high plains experience moderately humid conditions as well (up to 65 F dewpoints). West of the Front Range, humid conditions are nonexistent. I've never seen a dewpoint over 54 F here at 8000 ft in Colorado.

The summer monsoon can bring humid conditions to much of southern New Mexico and Arizona. Bouts of severe summertime mugginess occur in the low deserts of Arizona and California, with the Imperial Valley being one of the worst-affected spots (dewpoints as high as 80 F there). The SoCal coast also sees summertime mugginess, with dewpoints in the low to high 60s. Whereas lower elevation coastal and inland regions of the Pacific Northwest are generally dry, but occasionally see dewpoints in the low 60s.