I agree. I spent 11 years on the Coastal Plain of South Carolina, and have also spent quite a bit of time in Texas during the summer....Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, etc...and there isn't any comparison. I can remember many mornings in SC when I would break a full sweat at dawn just walking the 15 yards from my back door to my pickup. And, for those 11 years, I worked outdoors in that climate.
I REALLY appreciate air conditioning.
To be perfectly fair, you are likely to actually sweat more in AZ than in SC. The sweat just evaporates more rapidly and cools you more efficiently, so it is a lot less noticeable.
You can, however, die of dehydration due to excessive sweating a lot more easily in a desert climate.
Beautiful Beaufort...
But if you're looking for especially nasty weather, eliminate those areas which are more than 500 feet or so above sea level, and eliminate those areas which are close enough to the ocean to get at least an occasional sea breeze.
What you're left with is the inner coastal plain. Fayetteville, NC; Columbia, SC; Columbus, GA; and Montgomery, AL, just to name a few, must be in the running for the summer meteorological misery championship. And on into East Texas, until you get far enough west for the humidity to start dropping off.
It's amazing how air conditioning has altered our settlement patterns. Many Southern metropolises were insignificant in size before a/c came into widespread use (first commercially, later in homes).
I totally agree. In fact, I just walked outside, took the garbage out, got something out of the car, and walked back inside...FULL SWEAT. And, worse, it really isn't that hot. Right now, Weather.com has it as "Feels like" 90°. Of course, it is 8:30 PM. Which is another thing about being in drier climates...I'm amazed at how it cools off in the evening. In the morning, it actually is dry and, usually, "cool" (70°-75°).
It really is the humidity.
My uncle lives in the Lake Tahoe/Reno area and it is absolutely beautiful. I just checked Weather.com for his ZIP and it is showing 82°, but "feels like" 80°. So, indeed, it does actually feel cooler when there is lower humidity. He actually gets away with a "gator cooler" (?) and only runs his AC when it is really hot. I guess the gator cooler sucks all of the hot air out of the house. His energy bill in the summer is not too bad. Course, even with it being 80°, he is probably "dying" right now, but when he comes back down to Florida, he is really dreading it. He will only come down to Florida in the wintertime now.
what's austin like?