Desert USA Travel - What Does 10% or Lower Humidity Feel Like?

I am very curious. What does 10% or lower feel like when the air
temperatures are 80-100F? Does it feel good? Better than 50% humidity?
Also, when the temperatures et below say 60F does the humidity
generally stay low or does it move up over 40%?

wrote:
I am very curious. What does 10% or lower feel like when the air
temperatures are 80-100F?

Hot. If there is no wind, it will take you a bit longer to notice
how hot it is. If there is a wind, it can feel like a blow torch.
Low humidity and high heat can actually be quite dangerous
because you don't notice your are overheating as quickly
(and dehydrating).

Does it feel good? Better than 50% humidity?

No, but you don't notice it as much. And there are subtle
things like seeming to not perspire much (you are but it doesn't
collect), water doesn't seem to condense on glass and such.

Also, when the temperatures et below say 60F does the humidity
generally stay low or does it move up over 40%?

That depends upon why the temperature drops. Generally it
stays low but in a desert things can change alot at night.

On 23 Oct 2006 11:18:23 -0700, "
wrote:

wrote:
I am very curious. What does 10% or lower feel like when the air
temperatures are 80-100F?

Hot. If there is no wind, it will take you a bit longer to notice
how hot it is. If there is a wind, it can feel like a blow torch.

That's a bit of an overstatement. At 90F and 10% RH it can feel
quite pleasant, especially if there's a little bit of a breeze
and you're out of the sun. It makes for very pleasan evenings.

There have been times my wife and I hae been sitting on the
veranda at 80F and 10% with a little breezwe and we've actually
felt a bit chilly.

The hairdryer effect begins at about 95F or so with a stiff
breeze, but it's survivable.

Low humidity and high heat can actually be quite dangerous
because you don't notice your are overheating as quickly
(and dehydrating).

Even on days when you don't actually overheat, you can dehydrate
to the point of danger; drink liquids frequently, even if you
don't feel real thirsty.

Does it feel good? Better than 50% humidity?

No, but you don't notice it as much. And there are subtle
things like seeming to not perspire much (you are but it doesn't
collect), water doesn't seem to condense on glass and such.

Humph. It feels a lot better than 50% RH, at any temperature.

And even at 100F, at 10% RH you'll freeze your butt off when you
get out of the pool.

Also, when the temperatures et below say 60F does the humidity
generally stay low or does it move up over 40%?

That depends upon why the temperature drops. Generally it
stays low but in a desert things can change alot at night.

The dew point stays relatively constant, but the RH increases as
the temperature drops (that's the way it works). Even so, at 60F
on a dry day, 60F can feel rather chilly.

************* DAVE HATUNEN ) *************
* Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow *
* My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps *

wrote:

I am very curious. What does 10% or lower feel like when the air
temperatures are 80-100F? Does it feel good? Better than 50% humidity?

Do a Google search on "heat index" to see how humidity affects the
apparent temperature ... http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pub/heat.php for an
example ...

People's reaction to heat varies widely but for me personally 80 - 90 F
with low humidity feels fine, around 95 F it starts to feel hot, above
105 F it's hot regardless of the humidty and above 105 F it's just damn
hot.

Hatunen wrote:
On 23 Oct 2006 11:18:23 -0700, "
wrote:

wrote:
I am very curious. What does 10% or lower feel like when the air
temperatures are 80-100F?

Hot. If there is no wind, it will take you a bit longer to notice
how hot it is. If there is a wind, it can feel like a blow torch.

That's a bit of an overstatement. At 90F and 10% RH it can feel
quite pleasant, especially if there's a little bit of a breeze
and you're out of the sun. It makes for very pleasan evenings.

I was thinking more of when standing in the sun. But the
OP asked about a rather wide range of temps, 80 -100. When
you're used to some humidity, that dry wind is actually painful.

There have been times my wife and I hae been sitting on the
veranda at 80F and 10% with a little breezwe and we've actually
felt a bit chilly.

The hairdryer effect begins at about 95F or so with a stiff
breeze, but it's survivable.
[snip]
Does it feel good? Better than 50% humidity?

No, but you don't notice it as much. And there are subtle
things like seeming to not perspire much (you are but it doesn't
collect), water doesn't seem to condense on glass and such.

Humph. It feels a lot better than 50% RH, at any temperature.

50% is dry 'round these parts. All the moist skin hurts when it
gets that dry. We're down 'round 40% today and my lips are already
chapping.

And even at 100F, at 10% RH you'll freeze your butt off when you
get out of the pool.
[snip]

For the first minute.

What does 10% or lower feel like when the air
temperatures are 80-100F? Does it feel good?

Low humidity doesn't feel all that different if you're just sitting
around (except your lips & skin will dry out more quickly and you may
want to use lip balm and moisturizer). The big difference is when you
work up a sweat. You'll feel more comfortable in low humidity because
the sweat will evaporate more quickly, but you can get dehydrated
quickly if you're not careful.

Whether it "feels good" or not is pretty subjective; everyone has their
own personal preferences.

Last time I was in Death Valley, it was on the high 80s with extremely
low humidity. It still felt very hot to me and I sweated a lot when
hiking; however the sweat evaporated very quickly which helped a little.

" wrote:

Last time I was in Death Valley, it was on the high 80s with extremely
low humidity. It still felt very hot to me and I sweated a lot when
hiking; however the sweat evaporated very quickly which helped a little.

I've always wondered what its like to live in low
humidity area as well

I've always lived in north Missouri my whole life and
humidity here IS a problem..especially in summer.

So it would be interesting to me to give it a go in a
low humidity are such as death valley area.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I am very curious. What does 10% or lower feel like when the air
temperatures are 80-100F? Does it feel good? Better than 50% humidity?

Hell yes


Also, when the temperatures et below say 60F does the humidity
generally stay low or does it move up over 40%?


Depends where you are and why the temperature falls.
If a cold front drops down from Canada bringing rain the
humidity tends to climb a tad

Keith

wrote in message

Does it feel good? Better than 50% humidity?

No, but you don't notice it as much. And there are subtle
things like seeming to not perspire much (you are but it doesn't
collect), water doesn't seem to condense on glass and such.


I have to disagree, I flew from Tucson where it was 100F and
less than 10% humidity to NOLA where it was 80F and 50%
and New Orleans definitely was MUCH more uncomfortable.

Keith

Where can you find 10% humidity? I checked Death Valley and I couldn't
find that being even that low.