Everyone hates humidity. You know: that inescapable stickiness that entraps the heat, making it feel like you're being smothered by a wool blanket every time you step outside. To make matters worse, too, when the humidity is above average, your hair is bound to work itself into an unmanageable frizz—no matter how many products you apply—and you have no choice but to reapply deodorant at a ridiculously recurrent rate.
Still, as with all things, humidity is far worse in some places than others. To give you a bit of perspective on just how bad life could be, we've compiled a list of the most humid places in the United States, year after year. For those of you who experience shirt-soaking moisture in these locales, we send our sympathies.
The Methodology: Our data is based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Average Relative Humidity Data, which is collected from each of its approximately 250 weather observation stations located throughout the United States. The NOAA data for each station represents each location's average morning relative humidity and average afternoon relative humidity, drawn from data collected from the year of the station's opening through 2015. (The weather observation stations' years of operation fluctuate by several years, depending on the station, but most have been operating since the 1940s, and all stations have been in existence since 1999). Using these numbers, we calculated the average of each city's annual morning relative humidity and annual afternoon relative humidity and organized the list by comparing these averages.
So, without further ado, here's a roundup of the 50 most humid cities in the U.S.—ranked from least humid to most humid.
50 | Duluth, MN
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 82%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 63%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
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49 | International Falls, MN
Morning Relative Humidity: 83%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 62%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
And for more facts about one of the most humid states in America, check out The Most Famous Celebrity from Your State.
48 | Lansing, MI
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 83%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 62%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
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47 | Lihue, HI
Morning Relative Humidity: 79%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 66%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
46 | Mansfield, OH
Morning Relative Humidity: 82%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 63%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
45 | Muskegon, MI
Morning Relative Humidity: 81%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 64%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
To avoid dripping in sweat between the sheets in the most humid cities in the U.S., see our 40 Tips for Better Sleep on Summer Nights.
44 | Pensacola, FL
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 85%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 60%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
43 | Salem, OR
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 86%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 59%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
42 | Elkins, WV
Morning Relative Humidity: 87%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 58%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
41 | Shreveport, LA
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 87%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 58%
Average Relative Humidity: 72.5%
40 | Green Bay, WI
Morning Relative Humidity: 83%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 63%
Average Relative Humidity: 73%
39 | Houghton Lake, MI
Morning Relative Humidity: 84%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 62%
Average Relative Humidity: 73%
38 | Seattle, WA
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 83%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 63%
Average Relative Humidity: 73%
37 | Waterloo, IA
Morning Relative Humidity: 84%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 62%
Average Relative Humidity: 73%
36 | Gainesville, FL
Morning Relative Humidity: 90%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 56%
Average Relative Humidity: 73%
35 | Grand Forks, ND
Morning Relative Humidity: 83%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 63%
Average Relative Humidity: 73%
34 | Dubuque, IA
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 83%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 63%
Average Relative Humidity: 73%
33 | Rochester, MN
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 83%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 64%
Average Relative Humidity: 73.5%
32 | Key West, FL
Morning Relative Humidity: 79%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 68%
Average Relative Humidity: 73.5%
31 | Cape Hatteras, NC
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 81%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 66%
Average Relative Humidity: 73.5%
30 | Daytona Beach, FL
Morning Relative Humidity: 87%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 60%
Average Relative Humidity: 73.5%
29 | Vero Beach, FL
Morning Relative Humidity: 86%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 61%
Average Relative Humidity: 73.5%
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28 | Jackson, MS
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 90%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 57%
Average Relative Humidity: 73.5%
27 | Baton Rouge, LA
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 89%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 59%
Average Relative Humidity: 74%
26 | Eugene, OR
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 87%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 61%
Average Relative Humidity: 74%
25 | Houston, TX
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 89%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 59%
Average Relative Humidity: 74%
24 | Valdez, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 79%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 69%
Average Relative Humidity: 74%
23 | Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Morning Relative Humidity: 84%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 65%
Average Relative Humidity: 74.5%
22 | New Orleans, LA
Morning Relative Humidity: 87%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 62%
Average Relative Humidity: 74.5%
21 | Victoria, TX
Morning Relative Humidity: 90%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 59%
Average Relative Humidity: 74.5%
20 | Hilo, HI
Morning Relative Humidity: 82%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 67%
Average Relative Humidity: 74.5%
19 | Homer, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 79%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 70%
Average Relative Humidity: 74.5%
18 | Brownsville, TX
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 90%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 60%
Average Relative Humidity: 75%
17 | Corpus Christi, TX
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 89%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 61%
Average Relative Humidity: 75%
16 | King Salmon, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 82%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 68%
Average Relative Humidity: 75%
15 | Galveston, TX
Morning Relative Humidity: 83%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 69%
Average Relative Humidity: 76%
14 | Lake Charles, LA
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 90%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 62%
Average Relative Humidity: 76%
13 | Kodiak, AK
Daniel Briem / ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 79%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 73%
Average Relative Humidity: 76%
If you're planning to escape the humidity by flying to another destination at some point this summer, be sure to consult The 10 Worst U.S. Airports for Summer Travel before booking your flight.
12 | Nome, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 78%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 74%
Average Relative Humidity: 76%
11 | Olympia, WA
Morning Relative Humidity: 89%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 64%
Average Relative Humidity: 76.5%
10 | Port Arthur, TX
Morning Relative Humidity: 90%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 63%
Average Relative Humidity: 76.5%
And for more facts about one of the most humid states in America, check out these 25 Crazy Facts About Texas.
9 | Annette, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 82%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 73%
Average Relative Humidity: 77.5%
8 | Kotzebue, AK
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 80%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 76%
Average Relative Humidity: 78%
7 | San Francisco, CA
ShutterstockMorning Relative Humidity: 87%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 69%
Average Relative Humidity: 78%
6 | Bethel, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 84%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 73%
Average Relative Humidity: 78.5%
5 | Juneau, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 85%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 74%
Average Relative Humidity: 79.5%
4 | Astoria, OR
Morning Relative Humidity: 87%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 73%
Average Relative Humidity: 80%
3 | Barrow, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 82%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 80%
Average Relative Humidity: 81%
2 | Cold Bay, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 87%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 80%
Average Relative Humidity: 83.5%
1 | St. Paul Island, AK
Morning Relative Humidity: 88%
Afternoon Relative Humidity: 84%
Average Relative Humidity: 86%
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