weather

Jan and Feb are usually the most temperate and coolest times of the year. The last place we lived before coming here was palms springs where it gets to 100 and up pretty constantly in the summer. I came in sept when the trade winds are long gone and could not live without the a/c. Now I only use it at night. You will need some time to adjust to the humid heat. Some people like to do with out right away when they get here sorta a cold turkey break on the a/c.....I dont recommend it. Also its a matter of how breezy a spot you choose to live in.

Thanks Betty

I am just trying to get an idea. We are used to really hot summers with temps over 100 and high humidity (Kansas city) but it only lasts for a couple of weeks at that extreme. How about the bugs in the summer or the rest of the year for that matter?

Plan on the daily highs being in the lower 80's in the winter and the mid to upper 80's the rest of the year, with a few weeks of low 90's in August and/or September. The humidity also rises in late summer when the temperature kicks up, giving you a double whammy. As long as you have a breeze, it's not too bad. We don't have A/C in our home and just make sure the fans are pointed at us directly if we are inside in August.

The humidity also kicks up now and then sporadically around the year whenever we have Sahara Dust and/or Montserrat Ash in the air. This is currently occurring and the sky gets hazy from water collecting on all those dust particles and it creates a kind of Green House Effect.

There is statistically, about a 10 degree extreme difference between summer and winter temperatures here on STT and also depending on where you live, North or South During the summer months the trade winds die down and thus it feels much warmer but it's really not.

After over two decades on STT and dealing with the weather, I still have never experienced here the sort of humidity I dealt with in 17 years of living in Connecticut during those two months of summer doldrums when you'd just stand and drip. But I had to come here to deal with one minor and one major hurricane (to clarify, Hugo and Marilyn) so I guess it all works out.

The weather is "tropically temperate" for what that's worth. Worry more about fitting into island life period and understandng that the majority come and go. Cheers!

Most people arriving from the States find it very hot in summer. Most rental apartments do not offer a/c and with the tradewinds down is summer it is uncomfortable. Electric bills are expensive so a/c isn't always wanted. Solve the problem by taking a dip at the beach every day. After a while you acclimate and it doesn't feel so hot, you will hardly remember that you were so hot when you first moved down.

It really depends on where you are from. We are from Phx. We were in Louisville and Indianipolis in Aug and just about died from the combo of heat and humidity. There really is something to be said for the dry heat.
We have been in STX remodeling our condo in Aug, and we said that if that's the worst it gets its not bad ( low 90's ). But where we are we have a ocean breeze 95% of the time. When we ddnt, we used the fans.
Our neighbors in the condo above us, use the A/C year round. We never do. Their power bill is $600/ month, ours is $125/ month.

IMO, the major difference between summer weather here on STX vs the south or the midwest is that the temperature doesn't drop very much at night. Right now we're looking at highs of 85F and lows of 75F. In the summer you see highs of 88F/89F and lows of 82/83F for a long time. When the night time temp is that high and the breeze shuts down, that is when you'll suffer. Advice, good fans, ice cold water, and a refreshing dip in the sea or the pool. I live without a/c and was addicted to the a/c back in KY. I used to like it so cold in the car that my glasses would fog up as soon as I got outside.... so cold in the house that I had to sleep under a thick quilt. Reasons I live without a/c are 1) WAPA, 2) WAPA and 3) Well, you've got to goutside at some point and spend some time doing things you like to do... the beach, the water, you even go drinkning and dining at outdoor bars. The outdoors doesn't have a/c! Be prepared and buy a good fan.

Where abouts in KC? I live in Lee's Summit. Hope to move down in 2009.

.....--..... you havent experienced humidity until you've lived in the mississippi delta (just south of memphis) in the strong of summer. they bottle up the sweat and sell it at the blues festivals it pours off you in such quantity. Ahh, the memories ... those good ole southern homes with the wide porches, chain swings and sweet iced tea.....(i am a bama boy but spent my childhood in the miss delta, god bless it) ..... oh, and the mosquitos there, yep, if you're new or a tourist you think they're bees or dragonflies at first - HUGE!

Sounds a little like coastal North Carolina. Dismal swamp region where they call the mosquito their state bird.

nikki

I live in overland park. Right now we are jusst weighing our options no real time frame. We try to visit each year

When I lived in the New York metro area, the weather guy would occasionally say, "This is one of the ten best days of the year." In the USVI, just about every day (and night) is perfect!