Dear Tom,
Could you compare summer humidity along the Louisiana/Texas coast to Chicago? I would consider moving to Chicago if it’s not as humid as Houston.
Lynn Carlson, Denver
Dear Lynn,
There’s really no comparison. With summer dew points as a guide, Chicago is considerably less humid than Houston. Chicago can expect a cold frontal passage once or twice a week in normal summers, with refreshing Canadian or warm but less humid Pacific air to follow. Dew points typically drop from the upper 60s into the 50s with a frontal passage. Several times a summer, Gulf moisture gets locked over the Midwest, along with 70(degrees)-plus dew points for days or weeks. In Houston, dew points are normally in the 70s all summer, and this humidity lingers from May into October. Frontal passages are limited to once or twice a summer–but southeasterly trade winds are reliable for heat and humidity relief.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Dennis Haller plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
