I’m not from this area of the country, but I have experienced some really hot summers in other parts of the US. But nothing really compares to this weather. It is unbearable in every way. I feel like I need a shower just sitting here and dehydration is inevitable.
Why is it so brutal here!?
In: Planetary Science
http://www.dtn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/heatindex_graph.png
tl;dr: 90° F at 100% humidity feels roughly the same as 130° F at 10% humidity, or 120° F at 20% humidity..
I’m 50 and have lived in the southeast my entire life. It wasn’t this bad when I was a kid. Summer highs in the 80s were the norm, with some 90s here and there. Most years, I don’t think we had a day where it hit 100. Now, we hardly have any spring. Summer starts earlier and highs in the 90s are the norm. Hitting 100 is no longer shocking. A July day like today with a high of 85 is a treat!
It’s hot and really humid, which makes the air feel so thick and makes it hotter when in shade vs. being in the shade in a low humidity heat.
More humidity makes the transfer of heat to your body easier than if the air is dry.
Because if you’re even as far “north” as Atlanta, you’re in Northern Africa. Sahara level of sun going around. Add to that the immense humidity that impedes you as you can’t shed moisture (sweat) into the air.
Look at where-else is at that same latitude…
And look at the weather they have….
P.S. If you think the Southern US is bad, try Thailand.
I too noticed this when I moved here from the Midwest. The reasons are multifold.
1) You are closer to the equator, therefore higher sun angle and more sunlight hitting you due to less atmosphere to pass.
2) In general, it is nearer the gulf so the humidity is generally higher. More humidity makes it seem like it’s hotter.
I live in Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. It was sunny and 66F on the first of July.
8 months of the year this place is amazing.
4 months it is dark, cold and windy.
It’s worth it to me.
“Continental shield” climates tend to create extreme weather in vast lands far from coasts. And then the one coast that the US South is close to is the very warm Gulf of Mexico.
You may think of the USA as “northern” compared to the rest of the world but much of it shares the same latitude as Northern Africa. Meanwhile places like Europe are more comparable to Canada’s latitude. Add to that much of the USA is landlocked and not near a major body of water to cool it. It is a recipe for a very hot place.
Humidity in a good chunk of the US is high enough that it would turn into a tropical zone if we didnt have low winter seasonal temps.
This is why in addition to my central air, I have a dedicated AC for my bedroom, and a supplementary dehumidifer in the other part of the house just to keep the air indoors dry, and I have to empty that fucking thing twice a day in the summer.
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