[claredy]

Im moving to HK next year with my partner and he is scaring me with storys about the weather in HK. Is it really as bad as he is saying? (breathing liquid and having eveything go mouldy because its so damp, and being so hot and humid you cant move without dying)
Is it like North QLD? because ive lived there and survived the heat and humidity (just)....can it be any worse than that? Ive also lived in London over summer and that was pretty ikk in the tubes during peek hour
I would really like some honest opinions not scare-mongoring. Im coming from Perth, Aust, and as im sure most people know we have NO humidity at all......

claredy

[Baron]

I'm from Melbourne, so for me the humidity was dramatic. It's hot, but not so bad you die. Everywhere you go, including transport is airconditioned so it's really only when you're outside that you feel it. You get a little use to it, but never enough to be comfortable. Things do get mould on them unless you run dehumidifiers, but you can control it. There are a lot of bars though, and it's all pints so at least you'll have a good excuse to drink! Don't stress, its not all bad as far as weather goes

[claredy]

I guess if its totally disgusting i will just visit home for a month!

[mrcheese321]

I'm from Texas...I have to say that I haven't enjoyed the humidity so much, but have liked the fact that it isn't blaring hot here. We see 39+ C days constantly during August/September and it hasn't even been close to that here yet.

As Baron said, everywhere is airconditioned, so unless you go outside/stay outside a lot or don't run the air con, you aren't going to notice the humidity that much.

[chrisw]

Yeah, I'm in Texas right now, and we just got our first cold front yesterday (it's 85 F degrees right now). The day before was 107 F.

[penguinsix]

I'm originally from Washington DC which is basically a swamp when it comes to humidity. I felt quite at home in Hong Kong, but the situation is made a bit worse by a few factors. The air is very polluted and it can get a bit oppresive. The air conditioners are often turned up way too high, or not properly dehumidifying as they cool. Have you ever been around an ac unit that isn't working? It creates kind of a "wet cold" that reminds me a lot of London. It's not very pleasant though.

As for other things, I find drying clothes in this weather can be a real bear. I have a dryer in my apartment, but it can take a very long time to get clothes dry (I end up using a laundry sometimes).

Winter can also be cold. I was kind of shocked last year as it seem to go on and on...

[Katanga]

Let's admit the weather in HK has been pretty crap the last 3months. It seems to be either constantly pouring or really humid. Looking forward to the cooler months that are round the corner....or so I get told.

[wahansa]

I grew up in Hong Kong and I am used to the humidity. The "wet cold" from air conditioners are very annoying, however. It caused me to have rhumatism as a teenager, in fact. And the winters felt cold because there was no heater anywhere. But I wonder if things have improved during all those years I have been abroad. Do offices and shops have central heating during the winter? How about homes? Is it only a minority of homes that have central heating? Are there effective space heaters around? One reason I am thinking of moving to Hong Kong from Sweden is the climate. I am so sick and tired of the long and dark winters here. Do winters get lower than 10-15C in HK nowadays? This is the kind of temperature I get in Sweden during the fall and sometimes even during the summer, so I guess I will survive the HK winters :-)

[penguinsix]

I found Dixons carries a full-line of space heaters, the cheapest being for about $100HK. I bought two, one for my bedroom and one for my living room and I had a very toasty winter last year (and it was quite cold last year).

My building, Manhattan Heights (7 years old?) did not have central heat as far as I could tell. Many of our neighbors had never even heard of space heaters, but after they spent some time in our place they immediately ran out and bought some themselves.

I think last Winter was a bit out of the ordinary. I thought there were a few occasions where it was in the single digits, but maybe I'm not remembering properly.

[discobay]

Originally Posted by penguinsix

I have a dryer in my apartment, but it can take a very long time to get clothes dry (I end up using a laundry sometimes).

I used to have that problem until I 'upgraded' to a modern dehumidifier. The Japanese really have cornered the market as regards using dehumidifiers to dry your laundry. I can dry a full machine load overnight - infact it is usually dry by mid-morning so just a few hours.