Dry heat vs humid heat

[Distracted1]

I lived in Southern California for a couple years in the early 1990's. While there, my job required me to wear a tie and long-sleeved shirt- but also to venture outside frequently for long periods, and I was pleasantly amazed at how comfortable I could remain on a 90+ degree day if I kept to the shade. And the heat rarely stuck around very long into the evening, making sleeping much more comfortable.

Having grown up in Detroit, I can tell you that there is little in this world more miserable than a 90+ day with high humidity. I recall an outdoor wedding in July during which I sweat through shirt, jacket, and trousers. Of course, the weather did provide ample excuse to consume copious amounts of cold alcoholic beverages.

 

[Travis]

I suppose what I'm wondering is that often people who tell me I shouldn't complain about the heat are someplace where it is only 90F but with a humidity level north of 50%. So I guess what I'm asking is: would you prefer 90F (32C) with 50-60% humidity to 115F (43C) with low humidity?

Basically I'm just sick of people in humid places pretending I can't possibly be miserable in any heat that is also dry.

Back to the o/p ..... there is no advantage to high humidity as you'll sweat anyway and run the same risk of dehydration, so I'm not sure why dehydration is counted as a risk for dry heat.

Ah, I have a new roommate who moved here from New Hampshire who damned near had to be hospitalized for dehydration. He was used to knowing how much fluid he was losing by noticing his sweat levels. In the dry heat most of his sweat was evaporating and he lost fluids more rapidly than he understood.

Poor guy was miserable for weeks after that.

Oh and when it gets above 110F you have to really work to keep yourself hydrated. More so than a lot of people realize.

 

[Belz...]

I hate humidity. I hate heat but at least 35C with 30% humidity is tolerable.

Can't wait for Canada's long winter to come back.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

On Planet Earth.


Edited to add....

For most people in India, China, Africa, heck even Europe air-conditioning is either something you never encounter or only encounter in a minority of public buildings.

OK, but the OP was talking about California. That's why I thought it important to define where we were talking about when saying most people don't have AC.

I'm pretty sure most people participating in this discussion have AC...even in their cars!

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

More humidity at any given temperature is definitely worse. And high humidity doesn't prevent dehydration. You sweat just as much, it just doesn't cool you off as well.

Actually, since sweating in higher humidity is less effective at cooling you off, you sweat more, everything else being equal. You sweat more when you're hotter, and it's not regulated by whether or not it's effectively cooling you, so at the same temperature (and with the same wind or lack of), high humidity could be said to cause dehydration more quickly.

 

[Red Baron Farms]

The o/p was about people, not the biodiversity of rainforests.

But while on that subject, I've never noticed large populations of humans in such places even when there is vast room for population expansion. Point is they're terrible places for human societies as they don't lend themselves to agriculture. If you want to lead a hunter-gatherer existence then it's a different matter.

The desert doesn't generally have large populations either LOL. So throw out the extremes and on average higher humidity supports increased agriculture and higher populations.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

And you campers complaining about Ohio or New York's humidity don't know what hot and humid is. Come hang down in the ATL and see how you feel. You get out of the shower and simply never dry off.

New York is uncomfortable in the summer, but I suspect that has more to do with the relative attitude than the relative humidity.

Well, I never said New York had the worst Humid Heat ever. I just used it as an example to establish that Humid Heat is definitely worse than Dry Heat. I'm sure there are even worst levels of Humidity to be experienced, but I don't think I need to subject myself to them to re-confirm my already established theory that Humid Heat is what Hell must be like.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

I suppose what I'm wondering is that often people who tell me I shouldn't complain about the heat are someplace where it is only 90F but with a humidity level north of 50%. So I guess what I'm asking is: would you prefer 90F (32C) with 50-60% humidity to 115F (43C) with low humidity?

As someone else mentioned, once you go high enough in the temperature spectrum, there comes a point where it makes no difference whether it's a humid environment or a dry one. I have not experienced 115 degrees farenheit so I can't respond to that. But I've experienced 100 under humid heat and I think Las Vegas was around the 90's when I went. So lets just say I'll take 100 degrees of dry heat over 75 degrees of humid heat anytime!

(However, I have a hunch I would still go with 115 degrees of dry heat than 90 of humid heat. I am usually very goot at tolerating high temperatures, so there's a chance I could make that work)

 

[RussDill]

It seems to me that what your link establishes is that reality can get complicated. It is primarily devoted to explaining the challenges involved in even defining "heat-related death".

With the death rate in an area with a dry extreme heat being 3 times that of a hot, humid area, I'm not sure how "complicated" it can get.

 

[Ixion]

I grew up in the Houston area - 95 F/90% humidity, and now live in Tucson, Arizona - 100 F/10% humidity (these are estimates - humidity in Houston is very high and in Tucson very low). I definitely prefer the dry heat, but I agree with Travis, hot is hot.

This may be relevant to the topic though :
http://i.livescience.com/images/i/0...man-survival-limits-120809g-02.jpg?1344571431

 

[Damien Evans]

I'd be surprised if 13% of homes around here have AC.

Like most others, I'd rather be dry.

I'd be surprised if 1% of homes around here didn't.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

I suppose what I'm wondering is that often people who tell me I shouldn't complain about the heat are someplace where it is only 90F but with a humidity level north of 50%. So I guess what I'm asking is: would you prefer 90F (32C) with 50-60% humidity to 115F (43C) with low humidity?

It depends (on how low the humidity is, and what the wind is in these two choices). That's why I said earlier the heat index is a good way to decide how far you'd go to make that trade off.

Basically I'm just sick of people in humid places pretending I can't possibly be miserable in any heat that is also dry.

In the example you gave in the OP, that wasn't the case. "At least it's a dry heat," doesn't mean that they'd rather have your temp with low humidity than a lower temp with high humidity.

It means if you had your temp with high humidity, it would be worse. The only consolation they're offering is that it really could be worse (or perhaps a bit of tacit advice not to focus only on the one number in deciding how uncomfortable it is).

 

[Silly Green Monkey]

Mine doesn't. We have to use fans to pull in cool night air, then close up the house to try to keep the temperature low as long as possible. Baking, cooking, or laundry become impossible in the summer.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

Back to the o/p ..... there is no advantage to high humidity as you'll sweat anyway and run the same risk of dehydration, so I'm not sure why dehydration is counted as a risk for dry heat.

Yep. Theprestige made this point, and I said I would go farther since effective sweat will cool you better resulting in less sweating. Ineffective sweating just makes you icky but since it's not evaporating your body temp remains high and you continue sweating. So if anything, it works the opposite way the OP said.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

According to NOAA's table of heat index values, 100 degrees F at 40% relative humidity should subjectively feel the same as 90 degrees F at 75% relative humidity.

 

[lomiller]

I live in California. And each summer we will get a few bad heatwaves. While I'm sweltering under 115F (46C) conditions I'll suddenly have someone on the internet tell me that "at least it is a dry heat!" Which sort of makes me want to punch the wall. Which I won't do....of course because of the heat that I apparently shouldn't even notice.

So....dry heat vs humid heat.

DRY HEAT|HUMID HEAT
Easy to dehydrate|Easy to get heat stroke

Which is truly worse?

It's easier to dehydrate in wet heat than dry because you need to sweat more to get the same cooling. Basically it’s always better to have a dry heat than wet heat, but this still doesn’t mean the dry heat will be comfortable.

 

[Red Baron Farms]

With the death rate in an area with a dry extreme heat being 3 times that of a hot, humid area, I'm not sure how "complicated" it can get.

exactly

Dry heat is worse. It may be counter intuitive to some people, maybe even most people, but it is the truth.

 

[tsig]

Then you lead a very coddled life. Even in the US there are lots of homes without AC (I spent about five years in an apartment that had none), but more importantly, most of the world does not, including many tropical countries. Where do you think the AC unit is on this thing?
[qimg]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dAcjVeYFS3o/UFhEQFkumII/AAAAAAAABkU/TYuOhI4wo2w/s320/African_Hut_fuzzy_border%255B1%255D.jpg[/qimg]

A small chalet made of all natural materiels, with ezi-care floors and air conditioning by flo-thru ventilation. Financing by owner.

 

[lomiller]

I suppose what I'm wondering is that often people who tell me I shouldn't complain about the heat are someplace where it is only 90F but with a humidity level north of 50%. So I guess what I'm asking is: would you prefer 90F (32C) with 50-60% humidity to 115F (43C) with low humidity?

Basically I'm just sick of people in humid places pretending I can't possibly be miserable in any heat that is also dry.

Wet bulb temperatures of 95 Deg F can be lethal within 6-12 hours even for fit healthy people in the shade wearing minimal clothing. Fortunately even in humid places you don’t get relative humidity near 100% on 90 degree days, but high humidity and 95 degrees isn’t just uncomfortable it’s dangerous.

It may not seem like it when it’s 115 and dry but you are still much better off because of the dry heat.

 

[Ladewig]

I suppose what I'm wondering is that often people who tell me I shouldn't complain about the heat are someplace where it is only 90F but with a humidity level north of 50%. So I guess what I'm asking is: would you prefer 90F (32C) with 50-60% humidity to 115F (43C) with low humidity?

Basically I'm just sick of people in humid places pretending I can't possibly be miserable in any heat that is also dry.

I think I can help you.
I have studied enough physiology to know that humans have an overwhelming need to complain. Therefore there is nothing you can do or say to stop people from whining about how much more uncomfortable they are.

A friend of mine has decided the best way to deal with excessive complaining (and kooky conspiracy theories and petrified bigotry) is to just say "imagine that" and change the subject.