A Dry Humidity
Apparently June is the hottest month here. It makes sense -- the sun is such a force at any time of the year, and when the days are the longest, and the skies are so cloudless, the sun has its way.
We've had several days in a row with afternoons in the 90s. The locals tell us that it is typical to have some June days in the 90s, but this year seems to be unusual, with day after day in the high 80s and 90s and it isn't even mid June yet. And this, following an unusually warm (and snowless) winter.
Climate charts confirm Santa Fe is getting warmer, notably with the daytime highs getting higher and more frequent.
Mornings are beautiful, though. Cool, dry and in the 50s and 60s, just perfect for coffee on the patio and a review of my garden transplants all perky and fresh. My favorite time of day. By noon it's all heated up and best to be indoors. Plants wilt. But even then, if you find a shady spot outdoors, it can be nice. The air is so dry and the afternoon breezes are so pleasant, that a day in the 90s is bearable in the shade.
We're spending a lot of time opening and closing windows and doors this June. In the mornings it's nice to open up the whole house for the morning air. After lunch we go around and close doors and windows and pull the shades and start the air conditioning. Then we do it all in reverse to open the house up for the cool evening air after dinner.
Tile floors and a stucco exterior hold the sun's heat for hours, so it's a timing and balancing act to get the doors and windows open and the fans rotating once the sun goes down. We have something of a process now.
We are still getting used to the climate here. It's such a different world than the humid, often oppressive summers in Connecticut. We love the dry air, but 90 degrees in the intense sun is still hot. Yes, it's a dry heat, but so is an oven. There are times I have jumped back in real pain after touching a doorknob or kneeling on a patio stone in the sun.
We're learning the patterns of the day and where the coolest shade is, and not to touch anything outside at noon, not even the gate handle to come in the yard, and how long to run the air conditioning before we can open windows again.
After several hot June days, we had an unusual day yesterday. Winds came up from the Gulf of Mexico and blew humid air at us steadily all day. The day was brightly sunny, as always, but the humidity was 40%, an unheard of level and a weird feeling. The air was softer and smelled different and felt kind of ocean beachy, but it was not clammy or wet. At 40% the air felt good.
It was, oddly, a dry humidity. That's the only way I can describe the air in New Mexico when the winds blow hard from the southeast and the air is wetter than usual but still not very.
We've had several days in a row with afternoons in the 90s. The locals tell us that it is typical to have some June days in the 90s, but this year seems to be unusual, with day after day in the high 80s and 90s and it isn't even mid June yet. And this, following an unusually warm (and snowless) winter.
Climate charts confirm Santa Fe is getting warmer, notably with the daytime highs getting higher and more frequent.
Mornings are beautiful, though. Cool, dry and in the 50s and 60s, just perfect for coffee on the patio and a review of my garden transplants all perky and fresh. My favorite time of day. By noon it's all heated up and best to be indoors. Plants wilt. But even then, if you find a shady spot outdoors, it can be nice. The air is so dry and the afternoon breezes are so pleasant, that a day in the 90s is bearable in the shade.
We're spending a lot of time opening and closing windows and doors this June. In the mornings it's nice to open up the whole house for the morning air. After lunch we go around and close doors and windows and pull the shades and start the air conditioning. Then we do it all in reverse to open the house up for the cool evening air after dinner.
Tile floors and a stucco exterior hold the sun's heat for hours, so it's a timing and balancing act to get the doors and windows open and the fans rotating once the sun goes down. We have something of a process now.
We are still getting used to the climate here. It's such a different world than the humid, often oppressive summers in Connecticut. We love the dry air, but 90 degrees in the intense sun is still hot. Yes, it's a dry heat, but so is an oven. There are times I have jumped back in real pain after touching a doorknob or kneeling on a patio stone in the sun.
We're learning the patterns of the day and where the coolest shade is, and not to touch anything outside at noon, not even the gate handle to come in the yard, and how long to run the air conditioning before we can open windows again.
After several hot June days, we had an unusual day yesterday. Winds came up from the Gulf of Mexico and blew humid air at us steadily all day. The day was brightly sunny, as always, but the humidity was 40%, an unheard of level and a weird feeling. The air was softer and smelled different and felt kind of ocean beachy, but it was not clammy or wet. At 40% the air felt good.
It was, oddly, a dry humidity. That's the only way I can describe the air in New Mexico when the winds blow hard from the southeast and the air is wetter than usual but still not very.
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