I live in northern Japan, which is still very hot and humid despite us nearing summer's end. But I find myself surprisingly comfortable despite the relentless sticky hot heat. I guess in my second year I've grown accustomed to it, since everyone thinks I'm nuts when I say that this summer feels much cooler than last year.
At the same time, I'm dreading the coming winter. I was used to the endless gray cold wet weather back home (in Seattle) because at least it was warm indoors. Not so, in Japan! My apartment's thin walls can't keep out the cold.
I think it's official: I can stand the heat, but not the cold, despite being raised in a place with mild summers and cold winters.
So how about you guys? How's the weather for you now?
Which is easier for you to handle (hot or cold)? Which do you prefer?
Any tips for dealing with very hot/cold weather?
I cannot stand the heat at all. It makes me feel sick and very, very grumpy. Summertime is not a good time for me.
However, I can stand infinite amounts of cold weather. That just doesn't bother me anymore. I actually enjoy it at this point!
Since I live in New York, I sort of get the worst of both seasons. We might not get searing summer temperatures, but it can be very humid and surprisingly hot around here. Not to mention that we get some of the worst winter weather in the country.
To give you an idea of what I go through every single winter, this is a video recording that someone took on my college campus. I was a freshman that year and lived in the dorm they're standing next to:
We get storms like that 5+ times each winter. That one was actually the worst in memory since we got 100+ inches in 24 hours. It's called a "White Out" since you can't actually see in front of you. I never minded that weather. Sure it sucked at times, but I managed to stay on campus all four years and lived to tell the tale.
I don't really mind hot or cold. I do absolutely loathe the months of January through March, but it's because I'm stuck in the house and there's nothing to do more than the status of the weather.
The only types of weather I really don't like are hail and wind. Hail makes me run outside and hope to God that I get my car covered before it gets damaged, and wind puts me in the most foul mood you'll ever see me in.
I am use to living in the high desert with warm, hot summers and cold winters.
I just moved, though, to the valley where I'm told I'll be getting to see lots more rain and that I'll be SICK of it very quickly. I don't doubt it because it was drizzling this morning and everything just smelled soggy. Not the pleasant smell I use to get after a rain where everything smelled clean and fresh.
I prefer the cold, myself, because I can pile on many layers of clothing and warm myself up. But when it's really hot out I can only take so many layers off before I'm still sweating and miserable. Also, I sweat and get all greasy and gross and I don't like it.
When I get really warm, too, I get grouchy. Haha. "DON'T TOUCH ME RIGHT NOW, I AM SO FREAKING WARM. UGH"
My extremely bony structure and very tall height make me ideal for hot weather. I lose body heat very quickly and easily, and am generally cool to the touch even when the temperature reaches high eighties or nineties. I thrive in the outdoors, especially in the heat, in which I can get things done without keeling over from... death. Or, that's what it feels like when winters descended when my family and I lived in Illinois. Ice storms there, specifically Alton, a very small town right across the river from St. Louis. Ice storms, not snow storms. Power's been out for a week at a time during the high winter months, in which streets are layered in at least two inches of ice and it's impossible for anyone to get to work. Sometimes the entire place is just... shut down.
I was entirely too happy when we moved. Though I spent most of my time after high school in Arizona, where it gets very, very warm. It's never bothered me, hot weather. Cold is another story. I wear specifically-made insulated dusters and at least three pairs of wool socks beneath heavy boots. Anything less and I get blue, and shiver, and am very... not pleasant to be around.
Hot weather for me, thanks! I don't despise the cold, I'd just rather avoid it. Or stay inside, where it can be warm.
I can't handle heat at all. I feel sort of sick when I get hot, and I can't think straight. I get this overall sense of just... not being well. Humidity is bad for me too when mixed with heat, since then I feel like I can't breathe at all. I can tolerate humidity when the temps are low, but I prefer it not be humid.
Cold I can handle. I'm a very cold person, but I prefer being cold. If I'm cold, I can get a cozy sweater or blanket and then feel nice and comfy while still breathing cool air. If I'm hot... there isn't a whole lot I can do aside from air conditioning.
Of course temperate weather is preferable, but I prefer it a bit on the chilly side and, if I had to pick between extremes, I'll always pick cold.
We get storms like that 5+ times each winter. That one was actually the worst in memory since we got 100+ inches in 24 hours. It's called a "White Out" since you can't actually see in front of you. I never minded that weather. Sure it sucked at times, but I managed to stay on campus all four years and lived to tell the tale.
Wow, I didn't realize it got that snowy there! I've experienced sudden blizzards, but only because I went up to Sapporo during the Snow Festival a year ago. It just suddenly starts dumping snow and the grounds is almost instantly coated. I found that a clear plastic umbrella was the best way to keep yourself shielded while letting you see where you were walking.
@ElysiumFate: Oh wow, I don't mind windy weather. In fact, I kind of like it as long as I'm not trying to ride a bike. Breezy warm weather is probably my favorite. Hail hurts, but I can't recall a time when I've been stuck somewhere because of a hail storm.
@Estrella: Interesting! I didn't really think about how different places must smell after rainstorms, but that is true. Where I'm from it would rain all the time, but usually I thought it smelled "fresh" regardless.
@Tachigami: Wow! I don't know if I would manage very well in either of those extremes. I don't mind cold so much as long as I can retreat someplace warm indoors, but the idea of being trapped by ice sounds scary.
---------- Post added 09-11-2012 at 03:23 PM ----------
@Cherry: Interesting! Looking back, I think for as long as I can remember I've always preferred being a bit warmer than necessary versus chilly. If a room isn't too hot or cold, I'll still probably wrap up in a blanket for comfort anyways. The weather just dictates how warm of a blanket I'll use.
But I agree, I prefer temperate weather if I have a choice.
Another reason I like colder weather is because I love to wear jeans and long-sleeved shirts. Haha, it's my comfort zone!
Ferra - haha, my iPod tried to change that to "ferrari." It didn't really occur to me either but it make sense. Everything here is greener and there are more trees/right now more leaves falling off the trees so the rain probably just turns everything to mulch. Haha.
I am kind of excited this year about less snow. I use to commute 45mins on the highway and sometimes it was really frightening. Now, I'll only have to drive 10 - 20 mins and I won't have to deal with as many slick roads.
@ElysiumFate: Oh wow, I don't mind windy weather. In fact, I kind of like it as long as I'm not trying to ride a bike. Breezy warm weather is probably my favorite. Hail hurts, but I can't recall a time when I've been stuck somewhere because of a hail storm.
Colorado is a very windy state in the months of February(ish) through late April, and we get gusts of 75 mph or more, and sometimes it doesn't stop blowing for days at a time. When I was in high school I used to have to walk across this large open field to get to my school from home and I was always one pound away from being a human kite.
The hail could be worse, but we usually get it a couple times a year in the Spring, and you just can't leave the house until it ends.
In Louisiana form December till March it is pretty cold down here. so cold that I will ware toe socks with my shoes on. at times I want to stay in bed around those month's to stay nice and warm. cause once I get out of bed my feet get cold right away.
Colorado is a very windy state in the months of February(ish) through late April, and we get gusts of 75 mph or more, and sometimes it doesn't stop blowing for days at a time. When I was in high school I used to have to walk across this large open field to get to my school from home and I was always one pound away from being a human kite.
The hail could be worse, but we usually get it a couple times a year in the Spring, and you just can't leave the house until it ends.
Oh wow! I've been in powerful wind storms, but they're not really common where I'm from. Around here we get a lot of cold wind blowing from the mountains in spring, which is annoying since it stays cold even when it's bright and sunny.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sailor star rainbow
In Louisiana form December till March it is pretty cold down here. so cold that I will ware toe socks with my shoes on. at times I want to stay in bed around those month's to stay nice and warm. cause once I get out of bed my feet get cold right away.
I have to wear two socks and/or leggings pretty much all the time during winter here. D: Even indoors since there's rarely any central heating. I think I have a pair of toe socks though, so I should try those.
I like wrapping in a blanket too. But if I'm warm and the air I'm breathing is warm, I start to feel suffocated. I'd prefer to be warm under a blanket but with cool air on my face. Kind of spoiled, when you think about it.
@Cherry: Lol, I know that feeling. But in the cold winter months, sometimes I'll even pull my head under the covers because I can't stand how cold it is.
I live in a basement so it's just freezing at night in the winter. I always want to put my head under the blanket to keep out the cold, but then I can't breathe. >.>
@Ferra: We get the cold wind, too. I don't know if this'll make sense, but you'll be walking outside and you can feel that it's actually warm, but you're freezing because of the wind.
@ElysiumFate: I know what you mean! You feel warm because the sun is warming your skin, but at the same time the cold wind feels like it's blowing straight through you. Perhaps the weirdest experience I've had related to that was when I was riding my bike a warm spring day, when suddenly a cold wind from the mountains blue a bunch of snow in my face. It was beautifully sunny and painfully cold at the same time.
I don't really do well with temperature extremes, either way.
I really like winter as a season, but whenever I'm in a very cold environment for some reason I actually partially lose circulation to my hands and feet. It happens to a lesser extent pretty frequently; my school building is freezing all the time, and almost every day my fingernails actually start to turn a grayish-purple color in the coldest areas. If I stay out in the cold for very long, though, blood pretty much stops flowing to my fingers and toes altogether, and they turn numb and white. Fortunately it's not painful, but it is uncomfortable and really annoying.
Even wearing gloves doesn't help; sometimes I think it locks in the cold more than anything. And I always wear socks and shoes that cover my feet pretty well, but to no avail.
Last winter, it wasn't very cold where I live (compared to how it usually is), and I walked in a parade in the evening and my feet went numb. It was pretty embarrassing actually, because everyone else was perfectly fine with the temperature.
I don't have any huge problems with heat, thankfully, but especially hot and sunny days tend to give me headaches a lot of the time.
Basically I just prefer spring and autumn over summer and winter. xD
I much prefer the heat, which is ironic, considering I always wear cardigans and jeans.
But the cold is just so much more uncomfortable. I hate shivering...
I love all types of weather. I can handle the high temperatures of summer...while wearing a zip up hoodie, a spring jacket, and long pants...and heavy boots. All while standing on a sardine can packed train.
In the winter, I usually go outside in a light jacket, and hoodie, for a 5minute walk to get a slurpee. But then again, after working in a kitchen for so long, Ive learner to control my body temperature and keep warmth in my core in the winter, and push it away in the summer.
I live in Australia which is actually pretty temperate compared to the rest of the world.
Neither hot nor cold is good for me.
Hot: I faint a lot
Cold: My joints flare up and it gets so bad I can't use my limbs
I'm moving to Dubai in 2-3 months. It gets to 50 degrees during the day (122 for Americans). I would wear a burqa just to protect myself from the sun and the hot, dusty winds.
The cold is more easy to deal with. You can cuddle up under the blanket with someone. It just sucks when it's wet and raining, the wind's blowing in your face and destroying your umbrella and it's cold. D:
I live in Arkansas. Where it can be 90 in October. Heat and I have never ever gotten along. Infact I get sick if I'm in the heat too long even if I am well hydrated. The winter is awesome when it actually gets to be like in the 50's because usually days will be sunny with that lovely cool breeze rolling through. The rain here is actually kind of peaceful since it causes the dang heat to drop. I'm preparing on moving to Virginia Beach with my family where it so SOOOO much better. It was like 70 up there one day in the middle of June when we went to visit.
I live in the Philippines and It is very, very hot in here especially in the summer! I can't stand the heat, It makes me grumpy and not in the mood for absolutely anything! I love the cold though, It gives me great skin! ...but I am moving to Connecticut soon ^__^/ Yay! New place!
I live in an area where the temperatures can reach some extremes, from 90 degree and humid to 20 degrees below, I would have to say that I prefer it on the chilly side myself, it feels fresh like it's waking you up. I get angry if it gets to hot out like being in a sauna you can't escape. In the winter even when it reaches 20 below we have stuff to cover up in or warm houses, but in the summer there's only so much you can do to cool off like a few people have mentioned.
Where I live, we never get extremely cold weather. Its always hot and humid throughout the year. Sure, I do complain but then I have gotten pretty used to it already and hence, I pretty much am useless when it comes to really cold weather. I sometimes even get chilly when the air conditioning is on like 20 degrees! I rather be in a situation where it is scorching hot than extremely cold... I would just put on a tank top and shorts and I would adapt pretty well. Sweating is not an issue for me. ^^"
At first, snow was cool and cold was fun, but I quickly grew to loathe it. I remember recesses when the teachers forced us into the blistering cold and all I could think to do was cling to the building for dear life along with the one other student not accustomed to the wind. I'm actually big enough to fight the usual winds now, but there still are those occasional storms that force me to get uncomfortably close to the largest person around. There's a lot of bonding that happens there... and we never speak of it again afterwards. (I kid, I kid... I just carry extra textbooks to keep myself anchored)
Anyway, hot weather all the way. While I do look snazzy in sweaters and sweater vests and love building snow folks, tossing ice balls in faces, and watching tourists struggle against the storms, swimming, afternoon jogs, bike rides, and clear roads are what I prefer.
As for comfort, I can handle both. Born in the tropics, raised in the midwest U.S.
I grew up out near the desert, so I can handle heat pretty well...though this humid heat where I'm currently at is driving me out of my mind! Dry heat, that's no big deal, but this...just feels unpleasant. I really wish this house had an air conditioner that cooled more than just 5 square feet around it.
I can deal with cold, too, though - I mean, really, it's no big deal, all it takes is a good jacket. If my legs are too cold, I'll put on two pairs of pants. No problem!
So, really, I don't really have a preference between hot and cold. Just, spare me the humidity please!
I've experienced sudden blizzards, but only because I went up to Sapporo during the Snow Festival a year ago. It just suddenly starts dumping snow and the grounds is almost instantly coated. I found that a clear plastic umbrella was the best way to keep yourself shielded while letting you see where you were walking.
Hail hurts, but I can't recall a time when I've been stuck somewhere because of a hail storm. 
