PNW humidity is, in my experience, a bit higher than Jyl suggests. At least in the Western Washington area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6
It's not just the heat, I've been in AZ at 105F and extreme heat is not a big deal, it's the humidity.....
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This is very true. Rick is correct. Phoenix is remarkably comfortable in the shade, even in triple-digit temps. Coming from the PNW, this surprised me greatly. Here, with our humidity, triple digit temps are miserable. But only for a few days. If, as Jyl worries, those temps expand to weeks instead of days, then AC is the answer.
Back to humidity: The range of temperatures at which our bodies are comfortable changes greatly with humidity. In humid conditions, than range is narrow. In arid conditions, that range expands greatly.
When temperatures and humidity are higher than our comfort zone, and we turn on our AC, the first thing that happens is not a change in temperature. The first thing that happens is the AC system takes humidity out of the air. This alone provides relief. Then, as the AC system continues to run, temps fall and this provides more relief.