50 degrees feel colder in Florida than Chicago? Why?

I’ve read on a few posts that 50 degrees in Florida is sooooo cold and colder than usual. Being from Chicago where 50 degrees in November/December is a luxury I just wonder if someone can explain this . Does it rfeel damp and cold ? Is that why? Confused

It depends on who said it. If they live in Florida, they consider that cold. We were there in December, (we live in Philly), in the evening it got “down” to 70ºF. We were in shorts, t-shirts and sandals and it felt GREAT! Locals were wearing light jackets.

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I think it’s the humidity. We live in the midwest and I almost always start out my mornings with a hoodie or sweatshirt (we go early spring or fall) when visiting WDW

It’s all about what you’re used to and what temperatures your body has recently adjusted to.

If you fly down from Chicago in December and it’s been 40 degrees for a few weeks, 50 is going to feel great! If you’ve been in Florida with consistent 80 degree temps for a few weeks, 50 is going to feel damn cold.

It’s what you’re used to. We’re from Pennsylvania and were there in January it was 62 when we left our hotel. We had T-shirts and shorts. There were other people in jeans and heavy jackets.

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Humidity does tend to make heat feel hotter and cold feel colder, But I also think it what you’re used to. I’ve lived in FL for almost 20 years and those days of temps below 60 are the ones I relish most…

I think it depends on if you can deal with a “wet cold” or a “dry cold” and to what extent. I can stand in snow without a jacket and not feel like I’m freezing if it’s a dry cold. Wind and rain make the cold even worse than just a regular wet cold day.

I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation but it’s the moisture or lack of that make the difference.

I vividly remember my first night at Disney in October last year when it dropped to 70 degrees around 8-9pm and I was literally shaking I was so cold. I kept double-checking my weather app like wth is wrong with me? I’m from PA, so I usually love 70 degrees! Weird how your body reacts differently.

Well, originally when I posted this I was concerned about the “cold” 50 degree possible temperature we may run into in s few days . HOWEVER, seeing that it is 22 degrees outside today with a 8 degree windchill here in Chicago. I think we will be fine :blush:. I guess being cold is relative.

We live here, but I am from PA and my wife is Canadian. When the temps drop into the low 50s here, it usually comes with 90 percent humidity and wind. Don’t care where you’re from- when it’s colder here, it is uncomfortable in the parks at night if you don’t have layers.

When we lived in PA, we took seven trips to WDW in Dec and it got down into the 40s one year. We had layers with us, but still had to go to the Disney Store in what was then Downtown Disney for hats and gloves. I guarantee that if you head down here and stay in shorts and a T- and are in the Fantasmic amphitheater at night when it is in the low 50s with the wind blowing that you are going to be very, very uncomfortable.

As to locals wearing jackets in the 70s- HUH? I don’t know anyone here that wears a jacket when it’s in the 70s- as that’s the REASON we live here- it is warm and comfortable in the winter a good deal of the time.

Got one reply. I am from ND and in January it’s -20 with a wind chill of -50 most days. We have had exceptions but most commonly it is just plain cold. Imagine going to Florida even when it is 50. It is still paradise. I remember on January we did indeed go to WDW and it got down to that temp. The stage girls were freezing in short shirts and I felt bad for them. On the other hand we get summer temps in the 90’s but the humidity isn’t as bad as Florida’s. I remember asking a true Floridian if they ever got used to those temps in the summer with high humidity and she stated NO you never get used to it and I must say the same for ND. That aside I find that I am a North Dakotan and not a Floridian and though I like to visit, I will always consider ND our home.

In cold regions people stay inside during the worst of winter. We stay inside when it’s the hottest part of summer. Most find it challenging during extremes- I personally don’t know how roofers or landscapers do it day after day. When I was engaged to my wife and we were living in Canada, we had extreme low temps as well. Other than shoveling the driveway and having to shovel the roof a couple of times- we stayed inside unless we were getting groceries or whatever else in town.

Exactly. At Disney World, you’ll be outside almost all day, except for a handful of climate controlled attractions. If you were to go to a football game in Chicago, you’d bundle up for the day…you probably weren’t planning to wear that much to Disney World.