Weathering Milwaukee's Weather
The recent announcement by Republic Airlines to move jobs from Denver to Milwaukee had our relocation staff looking into the similarities and differences between our two cities.
While most employees considering a relocation will first factor in home price comparisons and school rankings, they quickly look to weather as an important consideration.
Surprisingly, Milwaukee and Denver share similar average temperature ranges, with our average low temperatures in January both around 14 degrees and average low temperature in July around 60 degrees. However, the high temperatures in January average 45 for Denver and 30 for Milwaukee. The average high temperatures for July are 88 for Denver and 81 for Milwaukee.
So – really – what is the big concern here? It’s our humidity. According to cityrating.com, relative humidity is probably the second most popular factor that people take into consideration when looking for the weather of a city to live in (aside from temperature).
Denver has relatively low humidity – sporting around 70% in the morning and 40% in the afternoon hours. Milwaukee, on the other hand, has 80% humidity in the mornings and 65% by the afternoon. Now that it is winter, our higher humidity makes it easier to make a snowman or throw a snowball (nice to know parents – huh?) while the snow in Denver is lighter and blows around. But what about the summer when our temperatures rise along with our humidity? What is it really like living with higher humidity in the summer months?
As a life long Milwaukeeian – I can tell you it’s not all that bad. First, we have the lakefront, which offers a breeze to combat the humidity levels. Second, our higher “average” humidity happens a few weeks out of the summer – pushing our averages up. Most days are comfortable, breezy, and great for experiencing our out-of doors.
And while we are on the subject of weather, overall, Milwaukee’s weather risk (which factors in hurricanes, earthquakes, tornado, wind, and hail) is much lower than Denver. In Milwaukee, we have a lower risk for hail, tornados, and earthquakes. Both cities rate low for hurricanes, and only is the wind a greater factor in Milwaukee versus Denver, making our overall weather risk a 55 compared with Denver’s 132 (average being 100).
So, take a dive into our climate and you’ll find it is most comfortable living here – with our breezy windy air and all!
Posted by:
Deborah Benavides
