I hate heat. Hate it. Loathe it. And high humidity is even worse. This is one of the reasons I live in the Midwest—the northern portion of the Midwest. There are weeks like this one when the temps reach 100, and the heat index climbs over 110, but they are few and far between. 

I spent two years in midstate South Carolina and seven years in middle Tennessee. Believe me, I understand what true heat is. And beautiful as it is there in the early spring and late autumn, I’ll still take the bitter cold of winter not to suffer through the heat and humidity of May through early October in the Southeast. 

Part of it is acclimation, of course. Growing up in the Midwest, my skin is toughened for wind and cold, but it is not prepared for heat. However, even after living nine years below the Mason-Dixon line, my body still did not deal well with the high temperatures. My skin is pale and freckled, my hair red, my eyes green. My ancestors clearly did not come from a warm climate. I do not tan; I burn, in ten minutes in the South Carolina sun. I don’t sweat much, which you would think would be a good thing, but when your body desperately wants to cool itself and the heat stays trapped below the skin it’s miserable. And dangerous in certain circumstances. I constantly have to monitor my body temperature when working out vigorously or lounging outside in extreme heat, or risk illness or passing out. I’m not made for hot weather.

That being said, I do enjoy the warmth of summer. Give me a day with temps between 75 and 85 and low humidity and a light breeze and I am a very happy camper. This could certainly fit the bill in South Carolina or Tennessee in late October or March, but rarely in July. Much as I love the culture and beauty of the South, I think I will always prefer the glorious seasonal changes of the Midwest, and the mostly mild summers. And when the mercury climbs toward 100 even in northern Indiana, I’ll just hibernate for a few days and imagine I’m in Alaska. 

Which would you rather endure, cold winters or hot summers? What do you love most about the weather where you live?