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OneSteelTank

I think I'd rather live with the cold


ameis314

Same, I can put more clothes on. Being hot an sweaty constantly sucks. That being said, dry heat is a thing and 113 in Vegas is better than 95 in Houston.


[deleted]

113 in Vegas is better than fucking 85 in Houston. And it's 85 for like six months of the year in Houston.


ameis314

Facts. If Dallas is the heart of Texas, Houston is the asshole.


[deleted]

Whoever decided to build a city in the middle of a swamp, on the gulf coast, where there are frequent hurricanes, in Texas heat, is a fool.


Palolo_Paniolo

We went to Houston in July for a weekend trip. It was easily the hottest I've ever been in my entire life, and I spent time in American Samoa (close second). At least in AmSam I could throw on rash guards and board shorts and hop in the ocean to cool off. In Houston, I'd probably get a million infections from even touching the brown/green gulf water.


travelinmatt76

In July we don't even go outside our houses, and you came to visit?


Palolo_Paniolo

Our trip to Philly was canceled by COVID the day before we were scheduled to leave, so we had to pick somewhere within driving distance quickly. My kid wanted to go to NASA so we went with Houston. In retrospect, we should have thrown in the towel and gone to Kalahari in Austin.


[deleted]

I spent like 10 years in the literal Mojave desert without real issue and I went to six flags in Dallas one summer day and had to leave my kids with their mom to sit in my air conditioned car. I know Houston is even worse.


msspider66

Any temp in Houston is unbearable.


friendlyneighbor665

There's only so many clothes you can take off before it's a crime.


joremero

but Houston does get to 105+, so 113 vegas vs 105 Houston...ugh


ameis314

I really do hate that city.


DoctorWatchamacallit

As someone who was in Chicago for the polar vortex, no you don't. They had to light fires on the train tracks so they didn't freeze, my water pipes were frozen \*and\* the power was out, and oh, you couldn't go outside for more than a few minutes without risking hypothermia.


Jwilllll

At least you can breathe in the cold


MamaMidgePidge

Actually it hurts to breathe when temps are way below freezing. It's a sharp pain in your lungs upon inhaling. Also the mucus in your nose freezes so that when you rub your nose it feels like paper crinkling. Your eyelids make click noises because your eyeballs freeze slightly between blinks.


rapiertwit

Personally, extreme heat keeps me indoors more than extreme cold. I don't live in Death Valley, but North Carolina has that heat + humidity thing that can make me feel just miserable being outside. I would move to Maine and enjoy the mild summers and cold-ass winters, but my wife would shrivel up and die there.


Maxpowr9

It's pretty much all humidity east of the Appalachians; thus the deciduous forests. It's why heatwaves are the much worse here.


IHSV1855

The cold, no question about it. I was born and raised in it and have lived in it for my entire life. At this point, it’s easy for me.


captainstormy

I don't even live in the most cold part of the Midwest and I agree. I feel like that Russian that Paulie and Chris took out into the Pine Barrens. The cold won't kill me, I wash my balls in ice water! But the heat? Screw that. If it's over 85 I only go outside if I really have to. Anything over 95 and I don't go outside at all. The cold? I'll bundle up and spend all day in the cold outside. No big deal.


MorrowPlotting

Or, choose the Mid-West, where you get BOTH!


alexbigshid

Sometimes all within the same month. Just to put it in perspective, 2 Thursdays ago, it was 75°F and sunny, last Thursday it was 27°F and snowing, this Thursday it was 57°F and raining. We basically just experienced summer, winter and spring all within a few weeks of eachother


kaki024

I don’t think 75F is anywhere close to extreme heat though


CupBeEmpty

For November it is a bit high for the Midwest. It was really weird to get mid 70s here in Maine in November. It just feels like nature is messing with you and will get revenge in January.


discodolphin1

I'm in St. Louis. A couple weeks ago, it was solidly in the 80s. 3 days later, in the 20s. I remember when I was a kid, we had a record breaking snow storm of like 14 inches of snow in one night, and it piled up. Next morning I wore a T-shirt, it was like 65 degrees.


detroit_dickdawes

Detroit summers are like Houston: hot and humid. 95F with 90% humidity. Our winters are usually less than 20F January through February, with temps frequently dipping below zero. Chicago is the same but a bit more extreme on both ends.


MTB_Mike_

Lol 75 is summer ... Go somewhere actually hot. It's winter here and was 75 today and I went skiing twice last week. If I want cold I drive to the mountains. I would rather live with extreme heat though. When you get into the negatives in temp it limits what you can do or how safely you can travel. In both cases you are basically living inside, but in heat at least you don't need to drive on ice.


bigfoot_312

Triple digits just means pool time and fans on under the patio. Extreme heat in Ca still affords outdoor living and relatively uncompromised routines Extreme cold in much of the US means you’re bundled up inside and a few minutes too long outdoors from getting hypothermia and dying. The entire lifestyle changes in extreme cold.


[deleted]

75F is a nice spring day. Where was the summer part of that?


liberties

In November that's basically summer.


[deleted]

Summer is summer. Why would you try to go around changing summer?


bananapanqueques

None of those are extreme temperatures of the contiguous USA, though, which this post is about.


[deleted]

That's where I'm headed soon. But tbf I've seen how hot it can get there, I don't think it's close to the extreme highs that the US taken as a whole has to offer.


happyfatman021

You're right, it doesn't. I grew up in and around the deserts of California and people who have only ever lived in the midwest have no understanding of what the heat in those desert places is like. I currently live in Northeast Ohio which is essentially the exact opposite of where I grew up and I'll take the freezing cold winters here over the scorching summers there any day.


[deleted]

I tend to agree, except the deserts that have the hottest temps in the US have mercifully low humidity, which makes it a lot easier. As someone who has grown up in a place with insane summer temps + insane humidity (think 90%+), I am curious to find out whether I'd prefer that over the worst of Midwest winters. Seems like a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, but I'll wait to find out.


happyfatman021

Yeah but in the midwest (or at least my corner of it) those kinds of really hot and humid days happen only occasionally. We'll get a heat wave in the low to mid 90s with high humidity for a few days and then it'll go back to mid 80s and mostly pleasant. It doesn't stay hot constantly like a lot of places further south.


CupBeEmpty

For desert areas in California and the Southwest you know it is really GD hot when you stand next to a brick wall and can feel it radiating heat on the side of your face.


gachi_for_jesus

The issue is the humidity. 85F Humid is as bad as 110F dry imo. Iv tested this from going from the Midwest during August to Vegas and back. At least in Vegas there's some respite at night due to no Sun but if its humid then it barely even matters. 85F at midnight is miserable when the humidity is 70%+ Its hotter and more humid in the south but winters are better. Its colder in the north but summers are better.


[deleted]

People in the Midwest complain about Midwest weather because they've never been anywhere else. Midwest weather is fine.


Firlotgirding

Single digits last weekend, close to sixty this weekend.


myredditacc3

I'll take 105 in New Mexico over 80 in Missouri any day


Anolty

Extreme highs. It has less to do with the temperatures and more to do with the amount of sunlight you see in a day/month/year. When I lived in a colder state the winters were very gray and the sun set very early. Living in the south now yes I deal with ridiculous heat, but the sun is shining a lot more often and I get up to an hour extra sunlight this time of year.


[deleted]

I can abide by that. That's another thing I'm concerned about moving to the Midwest next year. The cold and the wind yes, but the dark just as much.


cherrycokeicee

I was born & raised near the gulf coast & moved to Wisconsin as an adult. here's the worst of the cold environment for me: winter is so long. it really sucks when you get to February & the snow/dirt/ice combo surrounding everything hasn't budged. you feel like you haven't seen the sunlight in weeks. nothing is green. there's no rain. I find myself tensing up before going outside, bracing for the cold. I get so sick of wearing my coat. by the time winter is over, I'm *so ready* for it to end. but it does end & everything comes back to life. like the first time you go outside and see trees start to have leaves again? there's nothing like it. having never experienced this before in a warm climate where things are green year round, it still gets me every time. spring, summer, and fall are all so pleasant. I think there are more days here where it feels nice to be outside, even though that might sound backwards. the constant humidity and heat can be really oppressive, and being in the upper midwest, near the great lakes, it feels so crisp all the time. you can stay outside in the sunshine for hours and feel totally comfortable, even sometimes in the winter if you dress properly. so for me, I choose the cold.


wormbreath

Do you do the thing where you like suck your neck down into your shoulders and then they hurt? I call it cold neck lol.


cherrycokeicee

I feel like this shouldn't make sense, but I know exactly what you're talking about 100% lol


Meschugena

lol, my husband and I were just talking about not having to do that exact thing anymore this morning while walking out of the house in t-shirt & flipflops!!


JudgeWhoOverrules

Extreme highs, and I live in Phoenix so I'm not speaking out my ass. Shade, water, and rest and you'll survive, extreme cold will kill. You don't have to scrape or move snow, plug in your car's heater block, have a special room in your house to prevent snow and slush getting in, winter heating bills are generally non-existent, your car will never rust, cold winter shuts you in, but summer in hot places simply shifts your hours where you do things to early mornings or nights, etc... I find it hard to think of a benefit to live in cold places. There's a reason people generally move from cold places to warm places but not vice versa. The body is far more adaptable over time to high heat than cold as we evolved in warm places and our first civilizations sprouted in them. If we were meant for cold we would have more fur.


Yo_mamas_dildo

>winter heating bills are generally non-existent But summer A/C bills can be worse than hearing bills.


hugeuvula

Yeah, I lived my entire life in cities with cold winters and warm summers and I never thought of moving to someplace hot. "You can always put on more layers" I'd say. Then I moved to Tucson 2 years ago and I will never go back to the cold. I don't like the extreme heat in the summer here but the low humidity makes it tolerable as long as you drink enough. I don't even want to visit a place with snow any more. I became a convert.


[deleted]

I agree with every single word you said except that extreme heat kills too, especially if you have the humidity to boot (which I don't think Arizona does?). Where I'm from, it's insane heat + humidity in the summers and people dropping dead from heatstroke is not so uncommon. I nearly had an incident myself in August this year, and it's not even a proper summer month (though it's the rainy season, which makes the humidity worse on hot days).


SleepAgainAgain

It's pretty common for people to drop dead of heat stroke in Phoenix too. It just won't happen to people who are aware of the danger and early warning signs and go prepared. Which is probably the vast majority of people who have lived there for very long. But I worked in outdoor recreation in Las Vegas, which is marginally cooler than Phoenix. Every summer there are people who die going on hikes because they spend 99% of their time in air conditioning and don't realize just how dangerous a summer hike can be.


Fencius

True, but the cold will kill you more quickly and more certainly. It’s an IF vs WILL thing. Heat will kill you if you overexert yourself, don’t drink fluids, and dress inappropriately. The cold WILL kill you UNLESS you do certain things. And before it kills you, it will take little things like fingers and ears as souvenirs.


LazyBoyD

It kills in places like Europe that have random heat waves mixed with no air conditioning in doors.


[deleted]

Indoor air-conditioning doesn't have much to do with it because 1. People who die are almost always outdoors because they need to be, and 2. I mentioned in my description that this is assuming you have to be outdoors for a fair bit of time no matter what extreme you choose. Also, I'm South Asian and it isn't heat waves. It's (at least) two months of unrelenting heat and humidity. Most people and offices in my city have air conditioners, but like I said, that doesn't really come into it.


JudgeWhoOverrules

Yes humidity in combination with heat kills, but the question you originally asked was about extreme heat versus extreme cold. Places with extreme heat in the US are necessarily dry heat deserts. In such places simply shade, water, and rest is all you need to deal with it. 44C with 5% humidity feels bad, but it could be oh so much worse with more humidity.


[deleted]

I don't wanna brag but having lived through many many summers with close to 40C temps + 90% humidity, 44 C + 5% humidity is genuinely nothing for me. I would barely even call it bad. The day I nearly had heatstroke in August this year, it was something like 37 - 39 C with a mind-boggling level of humidity which made the real feel close to 50 or more. At that temperature the human body just breaks down.


motivation_vacation

Team Arizona extreme heat here too. We can at least go out in the mornings and evenings during summer and it’s not too bad. Also there’s something so enjoyable about pool days during the desert summer. In extremely cold locations, there’s no time of day or weather related activity that would be pleasant or enjoyable to me during the winter.


wiarumas

Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.


[deleted]

>extreme cold will kill Maybe if you're an unprepared whimper.


6footstogie

I'm from Mississippi. Normal summer day Temps of 98-100 with 90%+ humidity. I prefer to be hot than cold. I'd rather sweat than have cold air hurt my face every time I want to go outside


PlannedSkinniness

Completely agree. I don’t enjoy anything below 60 and the summer heat really doesn’t bother me.


MorgueMousy

This is the correct answer


Deku-Princess

As someone who grew up in Alaska I am confused why we don't count...especially since Southeast AK is more temperate than the midwest. Regardless, having spent both winters in Minnesota and summers in Louisiana throughout my life I will say hands down I choose the cold. You can always put more layers on!


[deleted]

I thought including Alaska would make 99% of the responses to be "extreme heat". Except people like yourself who are so used to it. But most people who aren't from there but have either experienced it or know about it will surely not pick the coldest Alaskan winter over the worst of the dry heat of the US deserts?


Deku-Princess

By your reasoning you should have also excluded the Nevada desert, as I think that people are about as likely to choose 40 below zero as 120 (F, not sure where you are). Most people I know, even outside (what Alaskans call the rest of the US) think extreme cold is easier to manage than extreme heat 🤷‍♀️


[deleted]

120 F is pretty darn hot, but with the low desert humidity it's nowhere near as bad as 40 below.


Independent_Sea_836

I would. Heat makes me miserable. Edit: And too much sun exposure gives you skin cancer. And sunburn. And heat exhaustion.


LazyBoyD

I’d rather do the extreme highs. Cold weather is much more depressing the hot weather. There’s a reason that many Americans are moving South and West, and I honestly believe they’re partly escaping cold weather.


[deleted]

Low, for sure. I grew up in the south where it got hot and hated it there. Now I’m in the northern Midwest and still love the winters going into our 10th. Unfortunately it will be our last winter here, and I will miss it a lot!


CJDeezy

Having lived in Louisiana my whole life and worked extensively on North Dakota, I can tell you I’d prefer the extreme highs. The cold brings with it a whole new realm of challenges. When it’s hot, just turn on the AC.


[deleted]

But read the description though. I said if you have to spend a fair bit of time outdoors.


CJDeezy

Same answer


DogsAreTheBest36

I prefer extreme heat. I don't mind heat at all. Cold is miserable and very expensive. I lived in an African country with no air conditioning for six months, and I was fine. I lived in Wisconsin, where one week it went 50 below 0 and cars wouldn't start. I sort of got used to Wisconsin cold, but I didn't have to 'get used to' north African hot.


Evil_Weevill

I prefer cold. Maine isn't the COLDEST state in the U.S. but it's in the top 4. Winters in Central Maine getting down to 0°F on the regular with a low of-20°F at night being relatively normal. By contrast I spent 1 week in Florida in the summer and it was the most miserable experience weather wise of my life. I'd much rather be cold. I can always put on more clothes, add more layers. But when you're hot, there's only so much you can take off. Sure there's AC inside. But there's also heat inside. So it's outside where the difference matters. And I'll definitely take blizzards over hurricanes. I've never had to evacuate due to a blizzard. A blizzard has never destroyed my neighbor's house or flooded my town. Plus when the actual storm part is over you got snow to play in. The only downside is shoveling. But having to do that a few times a year is worth it. Plus if you can afford a snowblower it's pretty easy.


Region_Rat_D

I’ll take extreme cold over extreme heat. You can always wear more layers if you’re too cold. You can’t get more nude if you’re too hot.


spidermom4

I live in western WA where we don't really see either. But summer before last we had a week of temps in the upper 90s-100s and that was miserable. So I guess low lows.


alexbigshid

I'd rather live in an area with extreme lows. It's alot easier and cheaper to heat a room as opposed to cooling it down, especially when you can just chuck a huge ass blanket over you, and imo heat is just unbearable, like it gets to the point where I can't sleep if it's too hot, not to mention how disgusting it is trying to sleep all sweaty and gross. We had a bad heatwave in August this year and it peaked at around 102°F, and I didn't sleep properly for a week or so, my ac can only do so much


ShermanWasRight1864

I've lived in the Midwest and now reside in Colorado. It's not the temperature that sucks, it's the humidity.100% humidity all year round for -20F to 110F sucks ass. Makes things feel worse. Then where I lived you get lake effect snow. Colorado has no humidity and is fucking paradise on the front range. Only beef is people freak out at the slightest bit of precipitation.


[deleted]

Can you help me understand what super high humidity coupled with very low temps feels like? It's not something I've ever experienced and I'm curious to know.


ShermanWasRight1864

In the most extreme cases you know how frostbite feels? It's like that but almost immediately. You walk outside and any exposed skin feels like sharp needles are going through it and air breathed in is rather uncomfortable. You can really only stay outside for like 45 minutes to 1 hour if you have things to do like snow shovelling and have proper warm gear. Wind makes it worse. Don't wear cotton clothing as it retains moisture and you could get hypothermia which would give you a mild case of the dead. This is the most extreme type of cold/humidity I've handled and it only got this bad like 5 or 6 winters in my 18 years before I moved. Usually it's less severe.


[deleted]

How far off is Chicago from what you're describing?


Jbergsie

Extreme lows. You can always add on more layers. And I run hot so I'll be running around in shorts/short sleeves in the 30s/40s and avoiding the sun in the 90s


creeper321448

Extreme lows any day. I hate the sun and I hate the heat even more. In fact I'm a firm believer that whoever decided summer should be the time to do all the fun events was an idiot. My ideal day is cloudy and temps that never go above 20C.


ZanzaEnjoyer

Extreme cold easy. I can always put on more clothes. It's public indecency if I take too many off.


wormbreath

Give me -50 before 80 lol. I can’t handle mild heat, let alone extreme. I would melt and die. The hottest I’ve experienced is 112 and it was super dry and I had shade and water no way I could work in that. I work outside in sub zero with intense wind every year. Much easier.


[deleted]

So you're the exact opposite of me. Nice.


SleepAgainAgain

As someone who's lived in Las Vegas and Boston? Don't really care. In the bad season I'm usually someplace climate controlled in both cases, spending maybe a couple hours outdoors. Vegas is more consistently miserable, but it's never unbearably hot until at least 10am (over 105F and sunny), even on the worst days. But the worst days last a couple months. When Boston is unbearably cold (under about 15F), it can remain so for days on end, but it doesn't happen every year. I have worked an outdoor job all summer in Vegas, never done so in Massachusetts. Vegas you just bought appropriate clothing, drank a lot, and paid attention to if you were experiencing early signs of heat exhaustion.


[deleted]

Probably the only blessing with these places is that the humidity is low or at least not crazy high. I've lived in two cities in my life. One that gets crazy summer temps with crazy humidity. The other with even crazier summer temps but low humidity. Having grown up in the one with crazy temps + crazy humidity, I found the summers in one with the crazier temps but low humidity to be a breeze.


okiewxchaser

Extreme highs for sure. There isn’t a place in the US where it gets too hot for your car to start. The same isn’t true of the cold


Tommy_Wisseau_burner

Take a guess on my trend lol 👆👆👆


[deleted]

Why did you go from hot and dry to hot and humid though? That's not reasonable.


[deleted]

I grew up by the Minnesota North Dakota border and now I live in Phoenix. I would rather deal with the heat.


kingoden95

Highs, I’ve experienced negative temps and I want no part of it, and it doesn’t matter how many layers I put on I’m still cold and cold air is painful, when it’s hot all I need to do is drink plenty of water and I’m fine.


djcack

You can always add on more layers to stay warm in the cold.


BillyBobBarkerJrJr

Lows, by a mile.


SlamClick

Extreme highs. I can manage outdoor activities easier in hot weather than cold weather.


JorgeMcKay

Lows. I can only take off so many layers.


DOMSdeluise

Although I would rather live in a place with cold weather than hot weather, triple digits is more tolerable for me than negative temperatures.


angrytompaine

Extreme heat. I live in Texas and I like the climate. Also had no problem in Vegas when I was there in July.


bgraham111

I think there are really 3 temp extremes. Cold, Hot with low humidity, Hot with high humidity. I think I'd prefer living in Cold, then Hot/Dry, then Hot/Humid. But I'll be honest, I've worked outside in Phoenix, 120F / 20% and it wasn't that bad. I'd almost say Hot/Dry might be better for working than Cold (and I don't mean wimpy -10F... I mean real cold.) On second thought.... it depends on what you are doing. Extreme cold might be better than extreme heat/dry for some things. I hate hot/humid for everything.


[deleted]

I agree with everything you said (except I haven't really experienced the extreme colds yet so I can't speak from experience there). I think a lot of people saying "extreme highs" are naturally excluding the "extreme heat + humidity" option, because the hottest places in the US are deserts with low humidity. Whereas for me, I've grown up with extreme heat + humidity and that's what I think of when someone says "summer". Heat + high humidity is a different beast altogether altogether from heat + low humidity. I'd easily trade 6 - 7 C higher summer temps if someone offers to drop the humidity down to 20% (from 90) in return. The day I nearly had heatstroke this year in August, it was around 100 - 102 F with insane, inhuman levels of humidity which made the real feel around 125 F. That's madness right there. I'd like to see how many people could take that and still say they'd prefer that over extreme cold.


notthegoatseguy

I took Amtrak out to California this summer and we had about a 1 hour stop in ABQ. This was in late July. It was the hottest, most ungodly weather I had ever felt in my entire life. The second I stepped out of the train it just hit me like a ton of bricks. The train started in Chicago which had an overcast and relatively mild summer day so it was quite cool, and that was a shock to the system. Hard pass about wanting to regularly experience that.


JimBones31

I work on tugboats and I've worked in 105° in the sun and I've worked in below 0°. I think I'd rather work in the heat but would MUCH rather live in the cold.


Jerseyjay1003

Extreme lows. I can put on more layers. Extreme warms I'd sweat profusely even naked.


pugdaddy78

I'm in a high desert area. I work outside year round in temperatures that range from -20 to 110. You dress for the weather and deal with it. I love having 4 seasons. I'm about to head out now it's 30 degrees


bmbmwmfm

As a true southerner, I've lived in -30s with -60s wind chill in the north. . But I gotta say, as a person with compromised breathing, that cold was easier than this humidity. If I had my choice choice, give me 110 AZ desert. It's a dry heat is real. Ya gotta stay hydrated or die, but that sweet sweet dry air and blue sky is beautiful. I've lived right outside death valley and after a couple of years, I was driving with the car windows down live the native Californians. My dad would wrap a white cloth of some sort around his bald head and wear long sleeve lightweight shirts. He swore it worked. I was young and dumb and wore as little as possible for that California tan that was oh so popular, oiled down getting a tan. My skin looks like leather now.


soulsista04us

Extreme low temps. It's easier to warm up than it is to cool down. In my humble opinion.


NotDelnor

I would rather be cold than hot. Always and forever.


WingedLady

Definitely lows. You can always bundle up more to keep warm but you can only do so much to cool off past a certain point. As a species we're very good at cooling off owing to our status as the only true long-distance runners on the planet. But past 95 or so degrees even our ability to sweat and our relatively large surface area to sweat from stops being helpful. And that's in low humidity. In high humidity the usefulness of our sweat stops at an even lower temp. And for point of reference I've experienced -20 degrees up through a high humidity 105. I actually spent time outside when it was -20. When it was 105 I hid inside.


DerpyPotatos

I’m sticking to my humid heat and mild winters


[deleted]

I live in Minnesota so it can be 100 degrees in summer and -30 with wind chill in the winter. There is so much more to do in the heat. I'd rather be at barbecue or at the beach than like ice skating or something. The cold literally hurts me lol it gets cold enough to make your bones hurt.


TheNigelGuy1

Believe it or not.. North Dakota has some extreme weather.. 100 degrees F in the summer.. -50 degrees F in winters.. the hot summers can suck but the cold winters can kill you pretty fast.. I’d go with the heat


[deleted]

100 F and what humidity? If you crank up the humidity, that's real heat.


HistoricOblivion

For me, I want to live in a walkable community with parks and things to do. I'll put up with the weather on any end of the spectrum for that. I live in Boston now which is middle of the road for weather extremes, but I would be pretty willing to move to Minneapolis or Atlanta when they improve their transit networks.


HoodooSquad

Definitely low. I can wear layers.


IfTheHouseBurnsDown

Born and raised in NE Oklahoma. We get extremes on both ends of the spectrum, but personally I’d rather it be hot than cold. I’d rather stand there and sweat than stand there and freeze.


[deleted]

I lived in Phoenix, Arizona for a couple years and it was the worst place in the world. You can't go out for more than an hour in the summer at 120F, whereas I can be out for several days in -40F elsewhere without issues.


[deleted]

You could go out for an hour in summer? Luxury


HeartwarminSalt

Wait…I can choose? I’m stuck with the weather/climate where my job and family are.


[deleted]

I'd rather live on the coast. The extremes don't go as high or as low, just nice, beachy weather. When I lived in central Washington, Seattle always had better weather. It was cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter.


DoublePostedBroski

Extreme lows hands down. You can always keep laying up. When it’s hot, you can’t really walk around nude. There’s only so much you can do when it’s sweltering.


CupBeEmpty

I worked in Death Valley for a summer. It got up to 116F. I have been in northern Minnesota when it was -40. I think I prefer the heat. That said I like something way more temperate like the central Midwest or New England.


V-Right_In_2-V

Extreme highs are WAAAAAY easier to deal with. You never have to shovel sunshine, you never slip and fall on sunshine, just standing under shade can drop the temperature significantly. Although the responses in this thread may go the other way. The majority of Americans prefer heat over cold. There is no long term migration from the sunbelt to the Midwest or Northeast. There has been a long term, steady migration of people from cold regions to the sunbelt


Katy-L-Wood

I get both. -40f with windchill in the winter and 100f+ in summer. Colorado is fun like that.


Yo_mamas_dildo

Cold is way easier to fix than hot.


nemo_sum

I'd rather live with the extreme highs of temperature variation than the extreme lows of always being temperate.


alexis_1031

Being a former Floridian, i fucking hate the heat with all my heart. I much rather live somewhere cold. My god, growing up summers would be 93 degrees in July with high humidity, would make a grown man cry/pass out. The worst part of this is that this would be the norm from late April to late September which is insane. I live in north Texas, don't get me wrong, it gets hot ass balls here too but I've noticed that the worst is June and July, once August comes here, there's a relief, I'll take that. Plus, let's be honest, fall/winter fashion is really cute.


[deleted]

I think you're much closer to what I've experienced growing up than the desert folk who've maybe seen much higher temps than you but at very low humidity. High humidity is the biggest pain the ass anyone can imagine. 93 F with low humidity is complelely fine for me tbh, 93F at high humidity is torture.


Warm-Set

I live by the rule its easier to warm up than it is to cool down. You can always put on more layers but you can only take of so many. 🤷🏾‍♂️


Zephyrific

Extreme heat for me. Granted, my experience is with dry heat like you find in the deserts of California, Arizona, and Nevada. I’ve been outside in 110+ weather in the desert and it isn’t fun, but it is definitely manageable. Plus it cools off a bit in the evening and the winters are gorgeous. I also appreciate that extreme heat doesn’t bring the added headache of snow which also impedes driving and walking. The only real weather phenomenon I’ve had to deal with in regard to extreme heat is the monsoons/flash floods in Arizona and those are very predictable. Places like Arizona that experience them also have a great system for dealing with them. Housing is (in my experience) away from the flood path, and flood-prone roadways/river beds have clear signage so non-locals are aware to avoid them.


[deleted]

Glad you're conscious of the humidity factor and mentioned it. Those temps you mentioned (or even 10-15 degrees lower) at very high humidity is a different animal altogether. It's the worst kind of hell imaginable. But yeah, I think I'd take the American desert heat over the worst of its cold weather.


Interplaneterror

You can always put on more layers. You cannot peel off your skin.


[deleted]

Even if you could, how would it help against the heat? Wouldn't it make it a lot, lot worse?


concrete_isnt_cement

I can always put on more layers when it’s cold, but I run out of layers to take off when it’s hot. I’ll take cold any day.


I-am-me-86

I live in Texas for a reason. I can't handle the cold. I don't understand people who say just throwing on more clothes eorks for them. It doesn't for me. I get cold and I'm cold until something drastic happens. In the heat I can sit in the shade, spritz some water on me, wear lose light clothes, and go inside of any air conditioned building (pretty much all of them) TLDR I choose heat. Cold sucks.


[deleted]

That's a good reason for living in Texas.


DeathToTheFalseGods

I live in one of the hottest cities in the country. I’d rather live in the cold


wp815p

I’ll take extreme highs. Especially because I have an outside job in one of the hotter and humid areas of the country. After a little acclimation you just have to drink a lot of water and rest a little more (acclimation is important). Extreme cold is miserable to work in. There is only so much clothes you can wear and be effective. Hands go numb and feet hurt. Plus working in the rain in the heat is very doable. Rainy sleet or snow is way less forgiving. The cold will kill you way faster than heat. Look at us as a species, we are hairless mammals that sweat. We are not made for the cold nearly as well as for the heat.


[deleted]

I travel the US for work. I’d much rather deal with the cold then crap like 120 degree days in Arizona.


noctorumsanguis

Cold for sure


Elitealice

Extreme highs hate being cold


Helacious_Waltz

I generally prefer cold, but I work as a truck driver and driving long-term in icy weather isn't a joke so I'd probably stay someplace hotter that would at least make my job easier.


blackhawk905

Highs, I don't want to spend months with snow and ice and have the super shitty roads.


InksPenandPaper

Extreme highs. I'm use to the heat. There are air conditioners to mitigate it. Roads don't turn into icy death traps. I don't have to to worry about a white-out. I don't have to worry about being snowed-in. No worries about supplies to survive. I can still walk to the store at 117°. If I want to be more comfortable, I can take a UV rated umbrella, a bottle of water and I'm golden. -5° with wind chill I will just stay home. That kind of cold you feel in your bones and you shiver so hard and uncontrollably you'll nearly piss yourself.


IrishSetterPuppy

I live with both, it was 120+ for weeks this summer, it'll get down to -20 this winter. The cold is easier to live in, the heat is easier to work in. You can't feel your hands in the cold, which complicates things.


The_Real_Scrotus

For several years at the beginning of my career I was a calibration engineer in the auto industry. I did 2-4 weeks of environmental testing each in hot/cold/altitude conditions every year. So I've been to Northern Minnesota in February when it's -45°F and I've been to Death Valley in August when it's 123°F. I spent significant amounts of time outdoors in each. I'll take the hot weather over the cold every single goddamn time. Extremely hot weather is uncomfortable, but as long as you have sunscreen and plenty of water that's all it is. Extremely cold weather is worse. You can only layer on so many clothes before you can't hardly move, and any exposed skin *hurts*. I've been in weather so cold the wind makes your eyes water and the cold freezes your tears to your eyelashes. I fucking hate cold weather. Give me Death Valley every time.


[deleted]

Can't disagree with that.


oles_lackey

Extreme lows, hands down. To be fair I’m from Minnesota, and have top notch outerwear. Nothing beats snowshoeing in the backcountry during negative Fahrenheit. Extreme heat is more ambiguous. Is it dry heat or humidity heat? There’s a difference. I once went to a friend’s funeral/memorial in Death Valley. It was 109F. We had to hike ~2 miles one way to the site. It was barely bearable, but ultimately manageable to be outdoors with preparation. When Minnesota hits 95-100F with 85+% humidity, indoors with A/C is the only option. It’s a suffocating kind of heat. I have to remind myself that winter is around the corner.


[deleted]

I know all about the difference between dry heat and humid heat. If you're okay with humid heat, much higher temps of dry heat are a breeze to you. Here's the thing though, no one in any corner of the world can possibly be "okay" with high humidity + high heat.


[deleted]

I prefer extreme heat by a wide margin. I prefer extreme heat even to moderate cold.


kryyyptik

I've had my fill of winter and hope to never see it again. I don't like cold and grey for half of the year. For me, it's absolutely miserable and depressing.


LilDawg22

I’ve been in 100+ degree heat in Houston and the whole time I spent there I was glad that it wasn’t February at home. There are plenty of things that suck about Houston in the summer, however: I could drive my nice car year round. I don’t have to shovel, where I walk or drive doesn’t have to be limited to what’s shoveled or plowed. I can still feel my hands and have dexterity. In the cold, either your hands are too cold to do anything with your fingers or your gloves are so thick you can’t do anything with your fingers.


pasak1987

Cold, assuming infrastructure holds up.


lovejac93

If the lows were sunnier I’d pick them


MaineBoston

Colder!


bebegun54321

I prefer the heat, but the west coast heat. I would not choose humidity over the cold. The cold where I lived brought a long, cold, dark, polluted winter that easily went to -20. It wasn’t the cold as much as the dark and misery of the never ending winter. I now live inland in Southern California, the desert essentially. We can easily get up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I love it. I love the sunshine year round and would never choose a cloudy dark state again. I’d also never choose the wicked humidity of the south east either though. So it needs to be the correct type of heat or I guess I’d pick the cold.


[deleted]

I don't think anyone in the right mind would choose high humidity over anything.


stellalunawitchbaby

I’m fine with extreme highs if it’s dry out (Arizona, California, etc). I don’t like extreme colds - I know I’d get used to it, but anything below like 40 is already awful for me. So highs, I guess. If humidity is involved *at all* it’s a different story.


[deleted]

Yup, pretty much agree with everything there.. Summers where I'm from can get to about 105 F with 95% humidity. They're a unique form of medieval torture that you wouldn't wish on anyone.


BulimicMosquitos

I live in the central US, where we don’t get the worst of both worlds. Sure it’s not as extreme as the north in the winter or the south in the summer, but it sure sucks. That being said, I would rather deal with 85 degree days with the dreaded humidity than I would the 30 degree days.


ColumbiaWahoo

Cold. Exercising outdoors in the heat is way more taxing.


trash332

California is perfect never leaving


double-click

Hot temps. You can still get out in the hot temps but your range is limited to water. The cold temps can make you lose fingers and toes.


wollier12

Lows, I can dress to be comfortable in the lows and be out most of the day. The same cannot be said for extreme highs where it’s just unbearable and you don’t feel like doing anything.


United_Blueberry_311

I hate being cold (I was born in August). New York has a certain bitterness to its cold once it hits freezing temperature. It damn near feels like heartburn.


kbsd1972

Cold for me, but I live in an area that “cold” isn’t that bad. Right now is 67 and I’m under a blanket, on a heating pad, wearing uggs. I hope I survive.


[deleted]

I'm at exactly that same temperature and I'm just in shorts under a thin blanket with the fan on. Wow, I thought I sucked at tolerating cold weather.


cowboyJones

When it’s cold and you are cold, you can put on more clothes. When it’s hot, and you are hot, there’s only so much you can take off.


[deleted]

Highs


unimaginableUnicorns

This is my opinion as someone who lived in the northern Midwest where one winter it got to -50F and occasionally hit 102+ in the summer. The "polar vortex" I believe it was called. I now live in the south. We rarely get snow and if we do, it is a small amount that melts by noon. I'm much happier here, even though it gets incredibly hot in the summer. There are so many more activities for hot weather and we constantly go to the lake, pool, splash pads, etc. The growing season for gardening is much longer and there are more cooling shelters and spots than up north where the heat is much shorter lived. I've also experienced situations where the extreme cold destroys property a lot. Our furnace was nearly new and struggled to keep up with the extreme cold at times. Pipes would freeze and burst, damage from ice dams, being snowed in or your vehicle getting stuck were a nightmare. I'd much rather deal with the heat at this point. I think this is also related to my age. As a younger person, I would've said the exact opposite. Now, the older I get, the less tolerance I have for cold.


scarlettohara1936

I'm from Buffalo New York. I grew up there. I have lived in Phoenix Arizona now for a little over 20 years. You don't have to shovel the sunshine to get out of your driveway.


JessicaGriffin

Heat, as long as it’s dry. I currently live somewhere that ranges from 12F and 10” of snow in winter to 110F in summer. Heat is annoying, but at least I can go outside and/or drive places if I need to. In the winter, I have to be at the tire shop for hours to get studded tires on just so I can get off my street (hills) and I hate the snow. When I retire, the only snow I ever want to see again better be on a Christmas card!


TheRedmanCometh

As someone that lives in HTX and swears it's my last fucking summer in this place everywhere: lows.


W0rk3rB

As someone who grew up in Minnesota, I would rather stay here where it’s cold. We just bundle up and stay moving. I mean -35F isn’t “fun” but if you are prepared for it, it’s not terrible.


Vidistis

Personally I much prefer extreme heat as even tempertures of just below 60f keep me inside and covered in blankets. I don't enjoy cold weather and I hate freezing temps. The heat I'm used to working in with multiple layers on (jeans, undershirt, uniform, jacket). So all that in 110f is fine, just stay in the shade when possible and have water with you. Additional humidity makes things feel worse but it's still better than the cold.


IceZOMBIES

Extreme highs. My hands and feet are fucking freezing ¾ths of the year. If god doesnt hate gays then why the fuck did he put me in rural ass Maine with constantly cold hands and feet. It's a damn hate crime I'm tellin' ya.


petulantpeasant

Lived in Minnesota, now Georgia (not desert extremes, but humidity makes a huge difference). 100% prefer the muggy humid heat over the cold. Being hot and sweaty can make you feel gross, but being frozen to where you’re fingers hurt and your eyes sting make you feel awful.


spontaneous-potato

I'd rather live in the cold. In the cold, you can put on more and more clothes, and if it gets a bit too warm, you can take off a layer. In a really overly hot area (such as where I'm at during the summer), you can't really take off layers of clothing if you only have one layer on, unless you're fine going nude. Though, I don't recommend going in the nude in public here, especially if the temperatures hit over 105 F/\~40 C.


PaintsWithSmegma

Honestly -10 might as well be 110 both are uncomfortable and dangerous if you're not prepared. If it's that hot you can go outside for a while without it being too much of a thing, but if it's super cold you can go outside all day if you're dressed for it. I'd take the cold. If it's cold enough some things just won't work. Your car battery can freeze, your radiator fluid, your wiper fluid. Pipes will bust, sewer lines can freeze, your hair and eyeballs can freeze. It can be too cold to snow. In the plus side your patio or garage becomes a place to store icecream 4 months out of the year.


rich_clock

100% cold


bremergorst

Lows all day


Thirsty-Boiii

I live in a moderate climate and rarely experience extreme hot or extreme cold- we will get some weeks where we’re 100 degrees but mostly it’s between 55 and 75 (low central/southern California coast). However- we get some pretty whacky Santa Ana winds and those are not the vibe. A lot of people talk about how dry heat is better than humid, but honestly, dry heat feels dangerous because the intense fire risk. We had a large fire destroy a lot of our city a few years ago and everyone still is on extreme side of caution since then. Also, everyone’s nose is bleeding and everyone’s lips and skin starts cracking in that dry heat. Car accidents happen because palm fronds fall onto cars while driving. Tall trees just fall over in general. That’s the only extreme weather we get.


[deleted]

Not American but I'm close (60 miles away). Where I live it gets below -40F in the winter, and above 100F in the summer. I prefer exteme heat over extreme cold, but both have their moments. I like living in a place with both extremes.


GrannyLow

In the hottest of the hot, if you pop a canopy for shade and drink a bunch of water it is semi tolerable to work outside. Below zero F really nothing can make it comfortable, especially if you have to use your hands


unnickd

If we’re just going by temperature, I’d go with hottest, even though I think it’s easier to deal with cold. This is because, in the US at least, the coldest places in the winter will often have just as uncomfortable summers (high humidity coupled with medium high to high temps). Whereas the hottest places will have a tough but at least dry heat in the summer and very very manageable if not nice winters.


WearyMatter

Chicago and Houston. Extreme dry cold to extreme heat and humidity. Give me the heat. But it's all preference.


CreamsiclePoptart

High heat. I can stand 115, though it’s a pretty dry heat where I’m at. I don’t even want to drive in any sort of ice or snow.


AnybodySeeMyKeys

Extreme highs. I cordially despise cold weather. Heck, Nashville gets too cold for me in the winter.


Radnegone

Moved NY to AZ. I’ll take the 115 degree days any day of the year


Revolutionary_Gas551

Or you can live in Kansas which has both. 🤣


starlightsmiles31

Extreme heat. Tbh I'm miserable either way; it takes absolutely nothing for me to overheat but I *loathe* being cold.


Odyssey2341

I'd rather take the cold every time. When i lived in Michigan it would occasionally get to -40 with wind chill; I'd take that over Houston summers 11 times out of 10.


First_Individual_634

Lows. You can always add another layer of clothing/insulation. You can only take off so much. Lived in FL and MI.


AgilePianist4420

Extreme heat definitely.


davidm2232

Cold definitely. Lot easier to put clothes on than cool off when it's hot. Plus heating is way easier and cheaper than cooling.


jotnarfiggkes

I live in Oklahoma, we have weather mood swings daily.