"But It's a Dry Heat"
By Andrew Greenstein

	As we Floridians get ready to brave a few more months of summertime heat, let us take comfort in the fact that it's really not any hotter here than it is in most of the rest of the United States. In fact, it's often cooler in Florida than it is in other states! I begrudge Northerners who ask "How Can Anyone Live in Florida? It's So Hot!" Meanwhile, their mid-August mercury typically rises as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit while ours tops out in the 90s. While we enjoy breezy, "perfect" temperatures throughout most of November.. December.. January.. February.. March..and even April..they're flying here in droves to escape from arctic-like chills and multiple feet of snow. It simply isn't much hotter in Central Florida than it is in New York City: We just have longer summers.. It gets hot here one full month before it does up North...and it stays hot one full month longer. So Northerners can rightfully tell us that it's "too hot" in Florida from about Mid-May through Mid-June while our summer is already in session and they're just beginning to warm up and they can do so again during the brief period from Labor Day through mid October while they cool off and our heat lingers. But a few "better" weeks certainly doesn't make anyplace up North more desirable than the Sunshine State. What about the rest of the year? 
	But it's actually Westerners who are REALLY funny about climate comparisons: When they complain about Florida's "heat" and I remind them that their summertime highs easily top 100 degrees Fahrenheit, they immediately retort (as if programmed to do so), "yeah, but it's a dry heat." Hmmm. Okay, so that just means their Western version of heat promotes wildfires, dehydration, and unexpected heatstroke, while their higher elevations make it even easier to sunburn. Great. And what about that "hot and sticky feeling" Westerners are so proud to have absent from their weather? 
	As someone who has traveled extensively and experienced rather extreme heat in various parts of the world, I can confidently assure you that 105 "dry" degrees feels A LOT hotter on the skin than Central Florida's typical 90 degree humid summertime afternoon. Stickiness is the natural result of humidity causing us to sweat. Passing out in a Western “desert” from dehydration is NOT healthy. I’d rather be hot in a sauna than inside of a dry oven. Of course, humidity is almost like the converse of "wind chill" -- it makes the "feels like" temperature (“heat index”) warmer than the "real temperature." So a humid 90 degrees might really "feel" closer to 95 degrees. That's still not 100...105..or even the 110+ degree temperatures "dry" Westerners often experience. But what's GREAT about humidity, is it causes those fantastic afternoon rainstorms that occur almost like clockwork in the late afternoon....every single day of Florida's summer. And guess what happens on a 90ish degree day when the sky turns temporarily dark, lighting strikes repeatedly, and it rains monsoon-style for 60 to 90 minutes? The temperature falls between 75 and 80 degrees by 5 or 6pm. Know what happens around the same time of day during a hot, dry Western afternoon? It gets HOTTER... A steamy Las Vegas afternoon in July becomes even steamier by 6pm while Floridians are enjoying a breezy, post-rain 75-80 degrees...dining outdoors..at around the same time. It only makes sense that mixing heat with moisture is akin to mixing fire with water: A "humid" climate helps to dampen and "kill" the heat.. A dry climate only promotes fire and more heat. 
	Don't get me wrong: Both climates are often hot and even unbearable during points of the summer. Virtually ALL states south of America's northernmost row have tough summers, but at least Florida offsets its hot summers with mild winters. In fact, it's not uncommon to enjoy breezy, 75 degree afternoons throughout Orlando's winter. Okay, sometimes it gets as cold as 60-65 degrees in the "bitter cold" of January. And you know what else? Florida is DRY all winter long. Nary a drop of rain falls. Hence, the nickname "Sunshine state." Bottom line? Everyone likes to gripe about their climate. Floridians do have a hot summer and it's amplified by the fact that the summertime temperatures last so much longer than in other regions. Temperatures usually reach their 90ish degree peak by mid-May and often stay there incessantly through early October. But there is no snow. There is no frigid cold. Westerners and Northerners "suffer" through both extreme heat and through extreme cold. They have brief Spring and Autumn time periods-- Windows of beautiful, breezy weather that make up the best of their memories. Central Florida has that wonderful weather at least 5-6 months out of the year. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen: But remember: Every other kitchen is really just as hot... if not hotter.