City sweats its way to No. 3
OK, getting named to a list of the 10 sweatiest cities in the country is a dubious distinction at best, but at least give us full credit.
Phoenix, the hottest big city in the United States, somehow didn’t make the 10 sweatiest cities list for 2017. That oversight has been rectified as the city checks in at No. 3 on the 2018 list.
Only the presumably sweatier Orlando and New Orleans are ahead of Phoenix on the list, which has been published for the past four years by Honeywell Fans and Environmental Health & Engineering.
Phoenix residents don’t bat an eye at
100-degree temperatures and don’t really start to complain until the mercury reaches 115. And that famed dry heat? Try selling that one around here when monsoon conditions kick in.
We know about sweating around here. So, how were we left out last year and why did we make the list this year?
Tweaks in the criteria for compiling the list resulted in Phoenix being a top 10 finisher for 2018. Those tweaks also resulted in only two of last year’s cities (New Orleans and Atlanta) showing up this year.
Last year’s sweatiest city, New York, is not even among this year’s top 10.
This year’s criteria include average summer temperatures, most 90-degree days, average afternoon humidity, amount of shade and proximity to water.
Weighted less heavily this year are population density (that explains New York), use of public transportation, access to bike-share programs and labor statistics.