Kansas City Summer Relatives
by Annette Mertes Hadley
K
July 2017
Does the phrase "It's not the heat, it's the humidity" sounds familiar to you? It does to most people living
in a humid area. Like Kansas City in July. And most of the states south and east of here as well.
Turns out there are two kinds of humidity… Absolute humidity is the water content of air, regardless of
temperature, expressed in gram per cubic meter. Relative humidity, expressed as a percent, measures the
absolute humidity relative to the current temperature… and another factor that, combined with one of the
above, determines the level of "stickiness" we experience outside:
What? Huh? I can't think straight because I'm perspiring so much in my currently open windowed
non-air-conditioned house. Hold on…
That's why it's hot as Hades in Phoenix, but it's a dry heat.
And that is why, right now in KC, even though it's not that hot, it’s as sticky as a steam room. At only 78
degrees F we have 74% humidity with a dew point of 70 degrees. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
I'm waiting till tomorrow morning, when the temperature is lower, to turn the air conditioner on (what a
blessing to even have it!). Less burden on the AC unit that way, requiring less electricity and moolah. In
the meantime, I’m most grateful for my bedroom ceiling fan.
Lastly, Kansas City boasts the dubious distinction of possessing the broadest range of temperatures, from
the hundreds in summer to the minus zeroes in winter. So, while we may not get as hot as Arizona or as
cold as North Dakota, we experience the full spectrum of temperatures, often out of season.
To live in Kansas City means to be flexible, adaptable, and able to withstand sudden drastic changes
in temperature within a one or two-hour period. We may wake up to spring and end the day back in
winter. Or find reprieve in the middle of summer with autumnal temps and storms. There are weeks when
we experience two and three different seasons.
I remember one year some time ago, when Christmas day was
so unseasonably warm I took my daily walk wearing shorts.
That’s what I’d expect if I lived down under, not up over! The
following Easter, we had a snow storm with an accumulation
of about twelve inches. Of course, it being Spring, the snow
was gone within days.
I’m so thankful for the four seasons, even with the unpredictabil-
ity. I once observed I wouldn’t ever want to live somewhere
without the diversity. My year in the Middle East validated that.
It’s so good to be home.
LifeGrid® Local Editor - Kansas City
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No, this is not about family visiting in the summer. It is, however, about relatives. As in relative humidity
and relative temperatures. As explained by my inner wanna-be meteorologist, Stormy.
'Giving Local Business a Global Voice.'
Annette Mertes Hadley - Local Editor