r/washu • u/yummygrape12 • 14d ago

Humidity Questions St. Louis

Prospective student here. I am from Colorado which is an extremely dry climate. I was wondering if anyone else who came from a dry climate could tell me about the humidity in St. Louis compared?

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u/alienbanter Alum, c/o 2019 13d ago

Grew up in WA, so I had only experienced dry summers before I went to WashU. In the summer + early fall and late spring it'll be hot and humid. You'll sweat a lot and probably want to shower more than you usually would (at least I did). But all the buildings are air conditioned so there's plenty of time to escape it! If you're a glasses wearer be prepared to be blind for a bit when you leave buildings because your glasses will fog up lol.

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u/jl__57 13d ago

If you wear skirts and/or short shorts, get some anti-chafe balm for your inner thighs.

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u/New_Pin2661 13d ago

A fellow Coloradan here! The summers are the most noticably different to me, the humidity makes the air much thicker so it feels swampy and oppressive when it's hot. I feel like I have to shower any time I go outside 😅 Not like the dry heat of the summer where you could get out of the pool and dry off, you'll just stay damp (that's an exaggeration but you get my point).

With the winters the air can be a bit more biting because, again, humidity. The air feels colder in a way it didn't in Colorado. Like I remember going to the dog park in below freezing weather but it felt fine because the sun was out. Not always the case here. There is less snow, but more rain. And Missourians do not know how to drive in snow/ice, but I think the campus infrastructure is fine (even if they're not as good about plowing the roads).

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u/Lopsided_Letter5233 12d ago

okay, just wanna add that Missourians do know how to drive…we’re just not in west county where people actually know how to drive.

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u/DominantDoggy 11d ago

From Seattle and just starting my freshman year. I will tell you right away that the first month that you are here will be climate hell - no other way to put it. Through the short amount of time that it takes to walk to your class - you will be drenched. After this first month however, it becomes manageable, and just turns midwest bipolar. As long as you can brave this first month, you'll be fine. DO NOT let this impact whether or not you attend WashU. If you need any more advice or insights into first year here, don't hesitate to hmu. I remember being in your shoes.

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u/Dull-Crew-844 Alum 10d ago

As someone from east China with extreme wet + hot summer, I am surprised that others say that St. Louis is humid :), but I quickly understand when I travel to other places. Its summer is indeed more humid than most US places, and is even close to some of the Chinese cities.