It's the exact same temperature, but it doesn't feel identical from season to season
Why 60 Degrees Feels Colder in the Fall than the Spring
Published on Oct. 29, 2024
It’s been a weirdly warm fall across much of the United States—in New York, as I write this, it’s days from Halloween and still T-shirt weather. But have you noticed that 60 degrees doesn’t feel the exact same in fall as it does in spring and summer? I love science trivia and wondered why, so I went to meteorologists for help cracking the mystery.
Read on to find out why 60 degrees hits differently in the fall.
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Why does 60 degrees feel warmer in the spring than in the fall?
How a certain temperature feels goes beyond the reading on our weather app. This real-world number is officially known as the apparent temperature or “feels-like temperature.”
“The same temperature can feel completely different depending on the season, and it’s all about factors like humidity, dew point, sun angle and even the jet stream,” explains Cheryl Nelson, a meteorologist and natural disaster preparedness expert based in Roanoke, Virginia. Here’s why a temperature like 60 degrees or even 70 degrees seems warmer in spring than in fall.
Higher humidity makes it feel warmer
Spring and summer are stickier (perhaps you’ve noticed). As Nelson explains, “moist air from the Gulf of Mexico often brings extra moisture into the atmosphere.”
That raises the humidity and dew point. “The dew point tells us how much moisture the air can hold before it feels muggy,” she says, “and when it’s high, sweat doesn’t evaporate as easily, making us feel warmer and more uncomfortable even at lower temperatures.”
The sun is higher
The sun is at a different angle in spring than in fall: Because of the tilt of the Earth, it’s higher overhead and at a sharper angle. A higher sun delivers more direct sunlight than you’d get when the sun is lower, explains Erica Lopez, a bilingual meteorologist based in Jacksonville, Florida, who works on the weather app MyRadar. “At a higher angle, sunlight is intense and focused on a smaller area, making it feel warmer.”
In October and November, on the other hand, “the sun is lower, and more of it is reflected, reducing the amount of heat absorbed by the ground and air,” Lopez says. This is why you might feel the urge to throw on a hoodie on a 60-degree morning in November, but you are comfy in a sundress at that same temp in May.
A warm ground radiates more heat
Part of what you experience, weather-wise, has to do with the ground underneath you. Spring’s warmer ground radiates heat into the air, and that makes you feel a little toastier. “Think about blacktop pavement radiating heat into the atmosphere,” Nelson says.
In fall, the ground is cold, which gives the air a colder feel. Who knew there were so many strange facts we never learned in science class?
You’re used to the previous season
Your body gets acclimated to the season you just went through, says Jonathan Erdman, senior digital meteorologist at Weather.com. If it’s early fall and you’re coming off hot summer temperatures or you’ve just had a warm spell, “60 degrees in the middle of the afternoon may be jarring enough to make you reach for a light jacket,” Erdman says. “On the other hand, spring’s first 60s in the afternoon may have you so excited that you might celebrate by going outside without a jacket.”
The wind chill factor is a real thing
Fall is generally windier than spring and summer, making the weather a bit nippier. “Stronger winds will whisk heat away from our skin faster,” Erdman says, noting that that’s what makes us feel a chill. “That’s the rationale behind wind chill.”
What else affects how warm or chilly a temperature feels?
Your altitude
The air is thinner at high altitudes, and “at the same temperature, the thinner air can feel colder, especially if it’s dry and the sun isn’t strong, like in the fall,” explains Lopez.
Whether you’re near a body of water
It doesn’t matter if you are by a medium-size lake or the vast Atlantic Ocean: “Large bodies of water can moderate temperatures because water absorbs and releases heat more slowly than land,” says Lopez. “Coastal areas often have milder temperatures, and in spring and fall, locations near water may feel warmer than inland areas at the same temperature.”
Your age
Sweating when you visit grandma’s house? Here’s one reason why she may be cranking up the heat: Older adults have lower body temperatures and more trouble regulating their body temperature in extremes, according to a study review published in the journal Gerontology.
But 60 degrees in the fall feels warmer to me! What’s up with that?
Don’t worry if you find low-60 temps in November balmy: It’s perfectly normal. We all experience the world in our own ways. Your sense of temperature can be related to your metabolism, your body composition (fat insulates) and where you live.
That’s right—your body gets used to your local climate. Have a friend in Maine or Minnesota who goes out in sub-zero temps in just a fleece vest? Or a relative in Miami who jokes about reaching for a sweater when it dips into the low 70s? Weather.com’s Erdman has firsthand experience with this phenomenon: After growing up in Wisconsin and being perfectly fine with frigid days, he settled in Atlanta for 16 years and felt every temperature dip. “While in the South, I definitely became less cold-tolerant. After moving back to Wisconsin nine years ago, I regained my cold tolerance,” he says.
So, in a way, we not only have a body clock but also a body thermostat. It’s just another one of those fun science facts that confirms something you’ve long suspected!
About the experts
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Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. For this piece, Lisa Lombardi tapped her experience as a longtime health reporter and the author of What the Yuck?! The Freaky and Fabulous Truth About Your Body to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Cheryl Nelson, meteorologist and natural disaster preparedness expert; email interview, Oct. 27 and 28, 2024
- Erica Lopez, bilingual meteorologist at MyRadar; email interview, Oct. 28, 2024
- Jonathan Erdman, senior digital meteorologist at Weather.com; email interview, Oct. 28, 2024
- Weather.com: “October Temperature Forecast Trends Even Warmer from Southwest to Midwest”
- National Weather Service: “The Seasons, The Equinox and the Solstices”
- Gerontology: “Age-dependent changes in temperature regulation—a mini review”
