# It's not the heat, it's the humidity **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 5, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223 "2004-09-05T16:11:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/21 "2004-09-06T14:16:57Z")
I’m sorry, but I have to disagree. I grew up in 35-40c summers (40c is 100F) with very low humidity, on the prairies in Alberta. I now live in Baltimore, where it is humid AND hot. Every summer, I go home for a visit. When I return to B’more, I melt from the humidity and leave puddles of me wherever I walk. Give me dry heat any old day. ---
**Author:** ![Code\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Code\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Code_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/22 "2004-09-06T14:19:24Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Oh yeah, that’s the freaking coldest winters in Canada, for sure. I had meant to write SOME OF the coldest winters in Canada, but thanks for not jumping all over me about it :dubious: > [@Gorsnak](#): > > You simply don’t get “humid” Are you out of your friggin mind? I live an hour from the Bay of Fundy, we have humidy up the wazoo. I went to Calgary last summer and the first thing I noticed was that I didn’t need to walk around with a towel when the temperature was above 25, can’t say the same for NB. As for your ice crystals, I’m not being facetious when I say I literally have to wipe ice crystals away from my nostrils in the winter. There’s humidity. > [@Gorsnak](#): > > Stupid easterners Well I’m relieved to know your not the type to insult people for disagreeing with you. CM ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/23 "2004-09-06T16:30:42Z")
> [@Code Monkey](#): > > Are you out of your friggin mind? I live an hour from the Bay of Fundy, we have humidy up the wazoo. Reading is where your eyes scan _all_ the words. > [@Gorsnak](#): > > You simply don’t get “humid” **and -45.** As in, not simultaneously. Which, not irrelevantly, was the entire point of my initial post. ---
**Author:** ![Code\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Code\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Code_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/24 "2004-09-06T18:31:51Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Reading is where your eyes scan _all_ the words. I \*DID[\i] read all the words. My mistake was thinking that if I only mentioned the part that was in dispute then all of the previous info would carry over as previously discussed. Appearantly your in the mood to argue with someone over the way they word their sentence, for what I can only imagine would be your own entertainment. > [@Gorsnak](#): > > As in, not simultaneously. We _DO_ in fact experience both -45 degree temperatures _AND_ humidity. Elemental physics shows us that condensation does not freeze on contact with skin if it is merely -5. This however has stopped being the casual discussion thread that it started out as, so I will take my leave and converse in another thread where people are more inclined to discuss with out attacking a persons wording. CM ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/25 "2004-09-06T18:37:40Z")
It’s the heat. What humidity? Got fires. ---
**Author:** ![LadyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@LadyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyMack)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/26 "2004-09-06T18:46:05Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Don’t you people read!? :dubious: > > I said it’s BOTH the heat and the humidity. The phrase which chaps my hide is “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.” As though the heat has nothing to do with it. > > So, a simple pet peeve becomes a drawn out debate. > > Oh, never mind. Go on about misunderstanding what I was saying. I’ll just sit here in front of the A/C. 😛 It’s not (only) the heat, it’s (also) the humidity. Happy? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/27 "2004-09-06T18:56:44Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > And how was your summer in Greensboro? 😃 Eh, we’ve had a few sauna-type days, but nothing so bad, really. I’ve noticed that it tends to be neither quite as hot or nearly as consistently humid here as it was in Kentucky. I have yet to see a weather forcast where the entire week had **MUGGY** written across the bottom, which is rather nice. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/28 "2004-09-06T19:11:05Z")
Oh, and **NoClueBoy** we understand what you’re saying, but I’m not sure you’re quite following what we’re saying. Yes, the heat is a factor, but it’s often not _as important_ a factor as relative humidity when discussing how comfortable conditions are. ---
**Author:** ![smartini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@smartini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smartini)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/29 "2004-09-06T19:25:04Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > How about, > > “FUCK! It’s sultry!” > > Courtesy of Momma. I think Momma said “It’s too \*damn \* sultry.” I also think Momma lived in Georgia. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2004, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223/30 "2004-09-07T04:05:13Z")
> [@Code Monkey](#): > > We _DO_ in fact experience both -45 degree temperatures _AND_ humidity. Elemental physics shows us that condensation does not freeze on contact with skin if it is merely -5. I find that relatively hard to believe, given that the coldest temperature ever recorded in Fredericton was [-37.2](http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?Province=NB%20%20&StationName=&SearchType=&LocateBy=Province&Proximity=25&ProximityFrom=City&StationNumber=&IDType=MSC&CityName=&ParkName=&LatitudeDegrees=&LatitudeMinutes=&LongitudeDegrees=&LongitudeMinutes=&NormalsClass=A&SelNormals=&StnId=6157&&lang=ENG&pageid=2) on Feb 2, 1962, and the coldest temperature ever recorded in St John was [-36.7](http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?Province=NB%20%20&StationName=&SearchType=&LocateBy=Province&Proximity=25&ProximityFrom=City&StationNumber=&IDType=MSC&CityName=&ParkName=&LatitudeDegrees=&LatitudeMinutes=&LongitudeDegrees=&LongitudeMinutes=&NormalsClass=A&SelNormals=&StnId=6250&&lang=ENG&pageid=2) on Feb 11, 1948. But whatever. My point, which I will attempt to make one last time, is that the air holds so little moisture at -45 degrees that the relative humidity makes no subjective difference to how cold it feels. A “dry” -45 feels exactly the same as a “damp” -45, because there’s virtually no difference between them. Anyways, when it gets that cold it’s almost always close to dewpoint. Take [this](http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/hourlydata_e.html?timeframe=1&Prov=XX&StationID=3328&Year=2004&Month=1&Day=28) lovely day here in Saskatoon back in January. You’ll note that the weather conditions during the hours it was below -40 are “fog” and “freezing fog” and you don’t actually even get relative humidity stats, because it’s below dewpoint. This is typical. Then as soon as it warms up even a few degrees, the RH drops quickly because the extreme cold pushed nearly all the moisture out of the air. In short, “but it’s a dry cold” might have some significance if we’re talking about the fact that Saskatoon spends most of January below -10, but has no significance when it’s -40 for a week. Which was all I was ever trying to say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-the-heat-its-the-humidity/263223.md?page=1)