Humidity??

Question

Why is it that it is so humid in Florida and the southern portion if the US, but in places like southern California, Hawaii, Mexico etc it isn't as humid?

Thank you!

Answer 1

The weather depends a lot more on other factors than just the latitude.  Air masses move across the US in a west to east direction.  The flow around them when they are near Florida tends to pump tropical air into Florida, so it's warm and humid.  In the other places the flow of air into these regions is from drier places.  Most of the year southern Cal gets air flowing in from the east, the desert and great basin, which are arid regions.  Hawaii sits in the middle of the pacific where there are moderate temps and moisture from the ocean air.  boston and Seattle have similar latitudes and are on the coast, but their weather is very different due to the source of their air masses.

Answer 2

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air and can be described in different ways, including "relative humidity," which is the term used most often in weather information meant for the public. Relative humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air.

Florida's humid climate is attributed to the fact that no point in the state is more than 60 miles from salt water, and no more than 345 feet above sea level. Humidity is the degree of wetness or dryness of the air and is measured by a percentage ratio called "relative humidity." The warmer the air becomes, the more moisture it can hold, therefore, a person can feel the humidity on a warm day with 80 percent humidity than on a cold day with the same humidity.

More on Humidity

Understanding Humidity

http://www.gorhamschaffler.com/understan...

http://www.wildwildweather.com/humidity....

Humidity vs. Temperature (Heat Index)

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox/heat.php

Water Vapor, Humidity, Dew Point and the Relationship to Precipitation.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lmk/soo/docu/hum...

Answer 3

Air currents.  Depending upon the direction, air currents can bring in moisture from the ocean (or Great Lakes) or bring dry air from arid land regions.  

In places like Hawaii, eastern Washington and eastern Oregon, mountain ranges force humid air up into cooler air, the moisture condenses, falls as rain and as a result, the air is then much drier.