As the sultry summer sun bears down on Houston, many residents have shared their creative strategies for coping with the city’s notorious heat and humidity, affectionately referred to as ‘houmidity.’
One resident, Sharron Cox, offers a unique approach to managing the summer swelter. As a native of Southeast Texas, she suggests avoiding conversations about the heat until August.
Cox believes that bringing attention to the heat too early can prolong the feeling of summer, while being in denial about the warmth can limit one’s suffering to a shorter period.
She laughs as she describes how everyone begins to pull out their sweaters at the first sight of a weather front in September, blissfully forgetting that Houston’s hot weather can stretch well into November.
Another local, Josh Sorensen, has taken a psychological approach. He counts the weeks remaining until September instead of the number of days, which he finds to be a more positive perspective.
‘Nine weeks until September feels better than 74 days,’ he remarked. He noted that this method often coincides with summer lawn care routines, making the time left feel more manageable.
Some residents advocate for embracing the heat head-on. One enthusiast, known only as the ‘Humidity Connoisseur,’ suggests fully experiencing the heat as a way of adapting.
They encourage taking walks during the hottest parts of the day and challenging oneself with outdoor activities, saying it can lead to a surprising comfort with temperatures that feel unbearably high at first.
Then there’s Ashley, who brings a valuable perspective from her past experiences of living in Houston, Los Angeles, and even Saudi Arabia.
Recalling her time spent in Dhahran, where temperatures reached 110°F with oppressive humidity, she realizes that as bad as Houston can get, it is still more bearable than some other places.
Cheryl Detten shares her own tactics for cooling off during the sweltering afternoons. She advises hitting the pool at night to reset her body temperature and notes a new favorite spot: the cheese aisle at HEB.
Claiming it is even cooler than a movie theater, this mid-summer hideaway allows her to grocery shop while escaping the heat.
Bea, another local, has detailed her summer survival strategies that revolve around enjoying the outdoors while indulging in her favorite treats.
She suggests sitting outside during peak heat hours but recommends making the experience enjoyable with sweet iced Cafe du Monde and potato chips while waiting for summer to wind down.
Bea even celebrates ‘Changing of the Morning Light Day’ on August 14, signaling a shift in the sunlight’s intensity.
She looks forward to the softer hues and the promise of cooler weather that follows. For her, this marked the turning point in the season leading into the exciting possibility of the first fall cool fronts.
Moreover, Anthony Stott finds comfort in knowing that the sweltering summer months are relatively brief compared to the eight months of decent weather between mid-September and mid-May.
He emphasizes that if residents can just make it through July and August, pleasant fall days await just around the corner.
Scott Smith also has a unique strategy: he deliberately ventures outside during what he calls the ‘peak heat of the day.’
For him, spending even just fifteen minutes under the blazing sun allows him to appreciate the cooler mornings and evenings much more.
His routine includes short motorcycle rides or yard work that makes the heat feel more bearable.
Longtime Houstonite Shawn Harrison humorously encapsulates the experience of living through Texas’s challenging weather, emphasizing its dramatic nature in a poetic nod to the region’s climate, likening it to biblical lessons of endurance.
These various tips and tricks underline a theme of resilience and adaptation among Houston residents as they navigate the unique challenges of summer.
Whether it’s embracing the heat, creating fun distractions, or counting down the weeks, locals are finding ways to make their summers more enjoyable.
For those new to the area, these seasoned strategies might just make the sweltering months a little more bearable.
And for those who have been around, sharing these stories creates a community bond amidst the heat.
The conversation continues, and readers are encouraged to share their own tips for surviving the summer in Houston as they collectively face the heat together.
image source from：spacecityweather
