# It ain't the cold, it's the humidity.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-the-cold-its-the-humidity/562399>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 30, 2010, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-the-cold-its-the-humidity/562399 "2010-11-30T11:40:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-the-cold-its-the-humidity/562399/21 "2010-11-30T22:34:33Z")

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The cold is definitely more insidious when it’s damp out. It seems to seep into everything. It’s always in the 40’s and raining here during the winter, and wearing lots of layers seems to be the only way to really keep it out. I know when I visit central Oregon (which is a high desert and REALLY dry during the winter) it’ll be 20 degrees cooler but not feel as bad.

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-the-cold-its-the-humidity/562399/22 "2010-12-01T00:14:07Z")

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> [@Floater](#):
>
> Going down to the sea will also expose you to more winds, which will increase the wind chill factor.

I’m thinking this is a factor. In addition to the conductive effect of humid air, I’m guessing the conditions which produce humidity (open water or foul weather) are also going to be producing wind.

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**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-the-cold-its-the-humidity/562399/23 "2010-12-01T03:09:38Z")

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Surely walking through a place with low temperatures and high humidity would be like walking through a very, very sparse cold shower? Would you be warmer walking through a chilly wind tunnel with no light shower or a chilly wind tunnel with a light shower?

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**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-the-cold-its-the-humidity/562399/24 "2010-12-01T03:42:24Z")

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I don’t think it’s wind chill or precipitation: even an enclosed room gets pretty cold and dank at 15 deg C. It doesn’t help that there’s no such thing as drywall or wall to wall carpet here,\* such that every room is a cold box enclosed by bare concrete and tile. Like Nava, all one can do is burrow under the blankets.

\*again, due to the humidity: drywall just rots away, as does carpet.

ETA: and one of the most effective ways of _warming up_ a room, at least marginally, is to run a dehumidifier for a couple of hours before you go to bed.

But I’m just waiting for someone to tell me it’s all my imagination.

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