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Well I mean mist as in fog, like we have in high pressure scenarios. Not actual precipitating water like rain or drizzle. When you feel that saturated air on your body/skin at least with me, I lose body heat so fast.
It's the way my body works, but I've been known to get "chills" (and nearly hypothermia) from damp cold, such as at an airshow I went to in 2008, whereas I have tolerated temperatures of -10°C outside for over an hour when it was very dry air (as in low relative humidity) such as when I missed my train at Stockport station in December 2010 and had to wait outside for over an hour. I found this interesting.
I'm not trying to assert any theories, just describing what I have witnessed really.
I associate bone-chilling cold with dry continental air, especially if it's overcast. The coldest I typically feel is when it's, say, 1C, overcast, with a dew point of -10C or something similar. If it's 3C and foggy, I won't feel that cold.
This morning was misty and sunny - it reminded me of a sunny morning in summer that would probably end up rather warm (around 26-30C). It looked warm -it obviously wasn't, but it didn't feel cold to me (temp 5C, dew 4C).
heard that one many times. "a dry -20C in northern sweden feels like a humid -5C in stockholm". personally, i think it has to do with the clothing. of necessity people wear a completly different set of winter clothes in northern sweden than in southern sweden, hence the percived difference of "warmth". go outside in a light jacket in a dry -20C for a couple of hours and tell how warm you feel afterwards.
I always wear the same clothes in any cold weather. That aside, obviously I'd find -20 a lot colder than 2 degrees, duh. I'm making comparison against the 3 degrees and drier conditions vs. the same temp and much higher humidity. Yet I have been known to tolerate conditions of minus figures better than low single figures with fog and high humidity. Whatever the "scientific theory" says, perceptions often have a lot more variables factoring in that creates the sensation of what you really feel. The fact is nobody can really contradict what I say I feel, because only I know how certain conditions make me personally feel, and it is reality as I perceive it. Simples.
This morning was misty and sunny - it reminded me of a sunny morning in summer that would probably end up rather warm (around 26-30C). It looked warm -it obviously wasn't, but it didn't feel cold to me (temp 5C, dew 4C).
Funny. Today felt particularly cold to me. Especially when I went out when it was foggy earlier on at 6°C. But now the temperature is less at 4°C, but it's not as humid, and feels milder. How does one explain that then? Oh and in the same clothing.
Science says that wet cold feels the same as dry cold, and I agree. A lot of people don't, and I think the reason for this is that in places where there is "wet" cold, cold is uncommon, so people simply aren't dressed for it... or perhaps they aren't acclimatized to it. On the other hand, places that experience "dry cold" tend to have much colder weather, and thus people dress for the cold better.
I suppose our perceptions just don't follow the science. Otherwise I'd feel colder in colder drier weather with the same clothes I wear in less cold humider weather but the opposite is true. I do understand the theories intellectually, I am a degree educated intelligent human being. The issue is, what my body tells me does not correlate with the theories. I am just an observer to this; can only say what my body is experiencing.
Having experienced both, I'd take a dry (or snowy) 20 degrees over a wet 40 degrees any day. Much more comfortable, much more tolerable, doesn't feel as bad. Of course that is my personal opinion.
I suppose our perceptions just don't follow the science. Otherwise I'd feel colder in colder drier weather with the same clothes I wear in less cold humider weather but the opposite is true. I do understand the theories intellectually, I am a degree educated intelligent human being. The issue is, what my body tells me does not correlate with the theories. I am just an observer to this; can only say what my body is experiencing.
Kronan is correct about clothing but may not have explained it completely. Here's my explanation. When you wear any clothes that absorb moisture (this means any cotton or cotton blend, and to a lesser extent wool), you WILL feel colder when the air is more humid. But if you dress the way professionals recommend you dress for cold climates - this means a polypropylene or fleece inner layer, a similar middle layer, and a waterproof outer shell - you won't find the humid cold any different from the dry cold. For most people living in temperate climates, it's far more convenient to just wear a shirt, pants, sweater and coat, all of which have the tendency to absorb moisture. Hence, the widespread belief that humid cold is colder than dry cold. It's true for ordinary situations, but it doesn't have to be true if you dress like a Marine going on a military expedition in Alaska. Teleport that Marine to Scotland in the throes of a violent winter rainstorm and he'll probably find it uncomfortably warm.
Human skin absorbs very little moisture to make a difference either way.
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