Are there actually people who enjoy the heat?

[DerekG]

I've seen folks walking leisurely down the street when it's around 85 degrees. My question: What the hell is wrong with them?

What's so pleasurable about the oppressive rays of the sun? Of sweating incessantly out of every pore?

[undeterred]

1. I know someone who loves summer water sports

and I bet he is just having a great time today out on the lake. Not me!

[u4ic]

2. I do

But I need a dry heat. I wilt in a humid 25c, but am fine with a dry 35 or above.

I HATE the cold, whether it's damp or dry. I actually feel sick when I'm cold.

[freshwest]

3. You get used to it. Sweat cleans the body of impurities, if you're healthy. If not, it's dangerous.

[RebelOne]

4. I see some that drive in convertibles with the top down

in 90-plus degrees. I want to ask them if they are masochists.

[Bluzmann57]

5. To be fair to them

I have ridden motorcycles in heat like this, 100 plus, and it isn't all bad until the bike stops. Then it's just awful. I much prefer a car with ac.

[Skittles]

6. LOL 85 degrees is HEAT?

:rofl:

[freshwest]

8. Not really, unless you're not used to it. When I fly from one state to another and it's over 40...

Degrees warmer, it's a shock. Coming back it's a relief.

[Orrex]

35. Years ago, I recall watching Austin grind to a halt when it dropped to a sub-arctic 48°

So I guess it's all relative.

[hobbit709]

50. It grinds to a halt with a quarter inch of snow.

Cold just slows it down a little. It gets down to freezing every winter. Luckily winter only lasts about a week on the average.

[Orrex]

52. LOL. That's about right, I'd say!

I worked at a 7-11 @ South 5th & Oltorf, and I remember seeing a stream of customers come in wrapped in blankets and towels to fight off the chilly upper 50s temperatures. Truly amazed me, since I was used to Pennsylvania autumns and winters.

Of course, when it climbed up to volcanic temperatures in late August, I went into a heat-induced torpor from which nothing could awaken me.

[JonLP24]

73. That is true

at-least when it comes to Military Bases. Ft. Hood closes when there is a quarter-inch of snow while Ft. Lewis will only close if their is a blizzard. A few years ago there was flooding on the Interstate. The base was close for those who lived South but those who lived North had to come to work but it was bad weather all-around.

[Skittles]

62. I lived in Austin 17 years

people acted like idiots in cold weather but not me - because I am a native of Illinois :D

[muffin1]

42. It is when the humidity is 70% or so!

I know what you mean, and I thought the same thing upon first glance, but two weeks ago in southeast Virginia, the temp was only 84 degrees - but the heat index was 95. I HATE IT!!!

Last week was lovely here - very low humidity. This week it's supposed to be high nineties and into the one hundreds - WITH humidity. Please don't shoot self, muffin1, please don't shoot self, muffin1...:)

[blueamy66]

66. 85 degrees is brisk here in AZ

I'd love to walk down the street in 85 degree weather.

[eShirl]

70. I don't doubt it, with your dry air.

<----- jealous!

[NightWatcher]

7. it beats the shit out of cold weather

[Texasgal]

9. 85? heat?

That ain't HEAT that's downright FALL WEATHER!

:)

[Skittles]

10. I HEAR YOU TEXAS GAL

I have one of those weather stations - it goes solid red when the temp is 90 degrees, meaning HOT - I think it needs to be changed for Texas so it turns red at 96 degrees. 85 degrees in Texas is luke-warm :D

[hobbit709]

11. 85° is heat?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[RedCloud]

44. What about 85 C? Now do you feel the heat?

[kentauros]

45. If you would consider for just one moment

that no human can survive for more than a few minutes in that kind of heat, then you might have your answer. Then again, as that kind of heat isn't survivable, your mind probably wouldn't have enough time to register the feel of the heat as much as the effect of the loss of consciousness ;)

Either I can't figure out good search terms or there isn't a site with the answer of what the upper limits are for tolerable and survivable temperatures. I'm pretty sure, though, that 85C isn't survivable...

This is the best info I've found so far:
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/phys_agents/heat_health.html

[hobbit709]

49. I doubt the OP was talking Celsius.

Of course the highest temp I've encountered in C was 52°

[RedCloud]

68. You are both right. I just thought I would defend OP.

If you have ever lived in the warm and sunny tropics where I did folks complain it's too hot "when it is over 80 F and too cold when it is under 68 F) And they really did shiver, such delicate souls.

[era veteran]

12. I love hot weather

I like to work and sweat. A nice a/c is important to get away from it. An outside shower is a plus.

[txwhitedove]

13. Love the heat, and sweat is good for you. Our summer is somewhat topsy turvy this year.

We've actually had rain this month, and June was hotter. It's 97+ degrees outside right now.

[graywarrior]

14. People that run in 90 degree heat are mental

[nolabear]

15. Not to bitch again about Seattle's non-summer, but

I'm going to the Gulf Coast and New Orleans next week and I can't WAIT for that hot, muggy air and the sun to beat down on me. I always think I'm going to die from it, until I get on Southern Time and remember that it's okay to slow down and to fan and to drink sweet tea and sit out in the evening and watch lightning bugs come out and sip daquiris in the shade with the hot salt breeze coming off the ocean and...

Yup, definitely enjoy the heat.

[Kali]

16. the husband is a freaking desert rat, never gets too hot for him

drives me nuts - never looks for shade when he parks, wears long pants and socks and boots all year, uses the freaking hot tub in the summer! and too hot in the winter as well, can go start working out in the sun at any time. I have to start EARLY and come in by 9 or 10 this time of year or I die.

[blueamy66]

67. I tried to get into the hot tub at a hotel a few weeks back

here in PHX at about 8 am. No freaking way. I couldn't even stand to put my feet in.

Your husband is very much a desert rat!! :-)

[kwassa]

17. 85 degrees and low humidity is perfect weather.

72 degrees with 90% humidity is incredibly uncomfortable.

[OhioChick]

18. 85 is pleasant compared to the temps we've been getting n/t

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

19. There must be. I am not one of them.

But I guess it depends on what you're used to. I passed up an opportunity to transfer from Minneapolis to Atlanta, and a big reason for that was that I hate hot weather (it's been bad enough here lately). But a guy I know who lives in Atlanta told me about a former neighbor who moved back to Orlando because he thought Atlanta was too cold.

[kentauros]

20. First off: where to YOU live?

It's not in your profile, so I can't ascertain what kind of climate you are most acclimated to.

85F is a cool day for me. If only it remained no hotter than 90F here. Still, even with high humidity (80% or so) I don't start sweating until it gets to the nineties and relatively high humidity. Then again, I have lived in Houston for almost 50 years. I am well acclimated to a warmer climate. I will say that I am absolutely miserable in colder climates and if you've never heard a southerner complain about 50F being too fucking cold then you've never heard me! :P


Oh, here's my motto: I'd rather sweat than shiver! :hi:

[DerekG]

22. Western New York

I'm alright with anything between 20-75. Anything above that, and I'm miserable.

[kentauros]

23. Well, you see?

There's the difference. You're acclimated to climate at a much higher latitude and many of the rest of us on this thread are acclimated to lower latitudes. We expect heat; we don't expect the cold or worse, snow! ;)

[distantearlywarning]

21. Yes, I do.

I'm very heat tolerant. I prefer my house at about 80F all year round, and I don't start feeling too bad unless it's over 95. My husband and I were gardening outside today at 88F and 60% humidity and he was drenched and overheated after 1/2 hour and I still felt just fine.

But I'm hypothyroid. My body temperature is about 1 degree cooler than the average human all the time, even when I'm medicated. I actually feel very sick and sluggish when I am too cold - it's extremely unpleasant for me. I feel quite ill in environments colder than about 70F. I have said that I would go without electricity and running water before I would go without enough heat in the winter to keep my house at at least 72.

[InvisibleTouch]

24. Oh yeah. Love it.

85-90 is just about right for me.

[Supply Side Jesus]

25. 85? shit, thats a cold snap around here this time of year

I'd kill for 85

[21st Century FDR]

26. Think that's crazy?

It's pouring rain and in the low 60's here, and I just saw a bunch of idiots running down the street wearing nothing but shorts & shoes.

Didn't stop them to give them a sobriety test or anything, but I would suspect they had to be under the influence of one substance or another. :rofl:

[Rochester]

27. Not me. I tolerate cold well, but not heat.

80 is about as high as I ever want it to be, and even then I sweat like a pig if I'm working. I like 50s for working and 60s and 70s for loafing.

[Odin2005]

31. I'm exactly the same!

[Incitatus]

28. I would love to consider 85% hot.

Everything is relative, I guess

[Spider Jerusalem]

29. Depends on what you're used to I suppose

I moved from Atlanta to Britain; the temperature here at the moment is 55F with a high tomorrow of about 64F (and it hasn't been much at all above 70F this summer so far, and then only a few days). I don't miss the 90°+ heat or the 90%+ humidity one little bit, quite honestly (it's nice to be able to wear the same clothes year-round, for the most part). And after being acclimated to the weather here, 85F feels hot (and anything above 70F or so is warm).

[Odin2005]

30. Not me. I like it in the 50s and 60s.

[eShirl]

71. I'm with you.

A perfect day is a slightly misty 54 degrees.

[grasswire]

32. I feel slightly uncomfortable at 75; yucky over 80

But I also need partly cloudy weather and some air movement to be comfortable. Don't like full sun streaming down on me. I know for a fact that people with dark hair seek shade more. Also, I barely ever sweat, so I guess I don't have that cooling mechanism.

I have been in heat. 115 in SoCal, summers in Virginia, etc. I think the hottest I ever felt was in Colonial Williamsburg one night when there wasn't a breath of air and the humidity was so, so close.

[fujiyama]

33. I think a larger factor is humidity

Having lived in both dry (CO) and humid (SC) environments, it's easier to take the dry heat at higher temperatures, though it's important in dry environments to be properly hydrated at all times. I could really feel my throat and nose dry up in CO, NV, AZ, etc.

AC can make a huge difference. It's also interesting to note the major effect it's had on migration habits, especially in the US over the last 75 years or so. I find it unbearable to be in extremely humid places for very long and feel nasty when my clothes get sticky and wet. Even midwest summers can get unbearable indoors without AC and it can get pretty humid in the northeast as well. But it's a lot better for my skin, which is very dry and needs all the moisture it can get.

What temperature do most people set their AC at BTW? I try to keep it around 74-76.

[zanana1]

34. I start perspiring at 70 degrees.

So, no, I'm not a person who enjoys the heat. I enjoy my air conditioner and some nice, cool autumn air. I'm a New Englad girl and that's all there is to it. Kids love the heat because of all that water fun, but I don't know any sane adult who enjoys being drenched in sweat just going out into the back yard.

[SammyWinstonJack]

36. 85 degrees? I wish.

It's been over or right at 100 degrees here for almost 3 months now.

Heat and high humidity and NO RAIN! x(

[Iggo]

37. Right here, babe.

SoCal born and raised.

This is my time.

[raccoon]

38. Yes. I know a woman who has Reynaud's disease. Once I was in a car with her and she set the AC to

85 degrees. I kid you not!

[madinmaryland]

39. Anywhere from 65 to 95 is fine with me. I HATE the cold. Dry skin, dry sinues, etc.

Hate the cold!

[stuntcat]

40. better that the freezing cold

Cold actually hurts me, it's a weird thing about me I guess. And in the warm weather I have gardening to do.. playing in the dirt and watching the fish in the pond, and all the happy birds :D From November to May all I do is wait for it to end, wait for the flowers to come back up, wait to grow my own food.

I don't like miserable HOT though.. thank goodness for fans & ice & AC, though we try to turn it on as little as possible, some days we just have to.

[kick-ass-bob]

41. I love every degree from 55 to 90.

Because I will be comfortable in one layer of clothing.

Plus: vitamin D.

[muffin1]

43. Not me! I HATE SUMMER!!!!!!!!

Southeast Virginia - hot, humid, nasty. Gawd, I cannot WAIT until fall.

[Blue_Tires]

46. love it...

the only time I don't enjoy it is when I'm wearing something nice and trying *not* to sweat...

and +1 to the other posters who said "the heat" means triple digits...

[hifiguy]

47. Heat by itself I can tolerate to some extent

if I have an air-conditioned sanctuary. High heat plus brutally high humidity - which we've had in Minneapolis for the last week and which will extend to next weekend - is horrible. When you step outside it feels like you're stepping into the belly of a whale. Ugh.

[Raffi Ella]

48. I do!

Feeling the hot sun on my bare skin makes me feel so alive.

And yeah, I like running/hiking in the heat - makes me feel like an athlete when I push through the misery, lol. Plus it burns off a burger and fries like nothing else. Besides, you cool off pretty quickly once indoors.

This summer has been pretty brutal though, even for me. Brutal as in mid to high 90's and high humidity NOT 85 degrees.

[ceile]

51. 85 is nothing unless there's humidity to match.

Otherwise 85 is perfect.

[Lady President]

53. Love it up until about 90

After 90 degrees and high humidity the heat will get to me after too long. On the flip side, if I'm in the cold for any length of time, I cannot get warmed up until I take a bath or a nap (drops your core temp. and seems to regulate me again).

I love, love, love the feeling of getting in a car with a black interior after it's been in the sun all day. It's like my own little oven. :)

[kentauros]

54. I think all of my friends imagined I was the only person on the planet

that enjoyed a hot car interior like that. Great way to warm up after a day in a cold office building :hi:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

55. yes.

[struggle4progress]

56. Depends. I generally prefer cooler weather: I think 50F is nice, and I once went skinny dipping

at -16F

But daytime dry heat is OK with me: I didn't mind 120F in the desert when I was younger, as long as I had water and could keep my skin shielded from the sun; and one summer, when it topped 11F5 every day for over a month and a half, I had a roofing job -- again, adequate water and skin protection were essential. It sounds strange, but I always find long sleeves an absolute necessity in such circumstances

Night is an entirely different story: I have real trouble sleeping if the air is anywhere near body temperature or above.

But I don't much like high humidity. The worst summer I ever experienced it was only about 80F but the humidity was near 100%. I felt like it was nearly killing me every day. I couldn't do anything at all without being drenched in sweat, and none of it evaporated, so the sweating didn't cool me. I was preparing for a major move, and I couldn't carry 20lbs across the room without taking a sitdown to cool off

[kiva]

57. Like it, hate the cold.

[Taverner]

58. I have a strange fetish for hot, muggy, tropical, weather

Something about being fully awake in the tropics...it's beautiful

[AtomicKitten]

59. Good lord no which is why I live in SF and wear a coat in July. nt

[DFW]

60. Where I'm usually living, it was 52° F and raining the day I left for America

That was last Friday--in mid July!!!!!!!!! Heat? Bring it on!

[Tikki]

61. I enjoy temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees...

But then I live where the Summer weather is exactly...That.

Tikki

[W_HAMILTON]

63. I absolutely hate it.

I don't see how people can stand hot -- hell, even warm! -- weather. I grew up in hot and humid SC, then chose to attend graduate school in Texas thinking it was "dry heat" so it wouldn't be so bad. BULLSHIT. It is every bit as bad as in SC and then some! I can't wait to get out of here! I would love to move up north where it was cooler, but most of my family lives in the southeast and I don't want to be too far away from them. My hope was to move to Seattle because I love cool, rainy weather, but it's just too damn far away. Are there any Seattle-like areas on the east coast within maybe a 10hr drive of SC? :)

[CBGLuthier]

64. Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Apparently.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen
(Noel Coward)

In tropical climes there are certain times of day
When all the citizens retire, to tear their clothes off and perspire.
It's one of those rules that the biggest fools obey,
Because the sun is much too sultry and one must avoid its ultry-violet ray --
Papalaka-papalaka-papalaka-boo. (Repeat)
Digariga-digariga-digariga-doo. (Repeat)
The natives grieve when the white men leave their huts,
Because they're obviously, absolutely nuts --

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
The Japanese don't care to, the Chinese wouldn't dare to,
Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve to one,
But Englishmen detest a siesta,
In the Philippines there are lovely screens, to protect you from the glare,
In the Malay states there are hats like plates, which the Britishers won't wear,
At twelve noon the natives swoon, and no further work is done -
But Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

It's such a surprise for the Eastern eyes to see,
That though the British are effete, they're quite impervious to heat,
When the white man rides, every native hides in glee,
Because the simple creatures hope he will impale his solar topee on a tree.
Bolyboly-bolyboly-bolyboly-baa. (Repeat)
Habaninny-habaninny-habaninny-haa. (Repeat)
It seems such a shame that when the English claim the earth
That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth -

Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it.
In Rangoon the heat of noon is just what the natives shun.
They put their scotch or rye down, and lie down.
In the jungle town where the sun beats down, to the rage of man or beast,
The English garb of the English sahib merely gets a bit more creased.
In Bangkok, at twelve o'clock, they foam at the mouth and run,
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen, go out in the midday sun.
The smallest Malay rabbit deplores this stupid habit.
In Hong Kong, they strike a gong, and fire off a noonday gun.
To reprimand each inmate, who's in late.
In the mangrove swamps where the python romps there is peace from twelve till two.
Even caribous lie down and snooze, for there's nothing else to do.
In Bengal, to move at all, is seldom if ever done,
But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

[annonymous]

65. I like swimming so I like summer

I live in Maryland where summers mean hot, hazy and humid days with temperatures in the 90's and greater than 50% humidity. I think 85 degrees is cool for swimming but perfect for bicycling.

[Shagbark Hickory]

69. Hell yeah Sign me up for 85 degrees.

But I've had enough of 95 and 105 is certainly no picnic.

[CaliforniaHiker]

72. 85 is the perfect temperature for me

I generally won't even consider turning on the AC until it reaches near 100.

[geardaddy]

74. I'm with you on this.

Anything above 85 is intolerable for me. I much prefer 65 to 75 in the summer.

[Dulcinea]

75. Me!

I love summer. Best time of the year! I get a little sluggish if it gets above 95, though. If I never had to wear another winter coat, I wouldn't miss it. Give me shorts & flip flops every time!

I love boating & being on the water in any way, shape, or form!

I hate fall. It depresses me. I hate winter. I will never move back up north if I can help it.

[SteppingRazor]

76. If it's a choice between boiling hot summers or freezing winters, I'll take the summers every time.

n/t

[TZ]

77. 85 degrees is perfect pool or beach weather IMO

I like hot and humid. I went to Puerto Rico a few years back (you want hot, there's hot and humid all year round!) and I dealt with it better than my friend who was originally from South America!:)