Historical Heat Index Averages
The "heat index" is a measure of "apparent temperature." It is a mixture of both the temperature and the amount of humidity. The index here is important for retirement planning, because the more hot and humid an area, the more uncomfortable it is in the summer, which also means higher air conditioning bills. Extreme heat can cause as many health problems as extreme cold.
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Heat Stress
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If you are considering retirement to a warmer location, you need to be very careful. The heat index can be helpful here because the addition of the humidity factor can be an important difference between a pleasant heat and an oppressive heat. According to "Market Watch" magazine and "Business Week," as of 2010, the traditional "sun belt" states are seeing an influx of new retirees, but so are places like the Carolinas, Massachusetts, Missouri and the Rocky Mountain states. Even northern Arkansas is becoming a popular retirement destination. Some of these places are warm, but not oppressively hot; that is, both hot and humid.
The South and Southwest
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The NCDC figures show the "apparent temperatures" for the American middle South as the hottest in America, with a "heat stress" of 91 to 95 Fahrenheit. This area includes central and eastern Texas, most of Oklahoma and Arkansas, southern Missouri and southern Louisiana. There is a small strip in central Arizona that also falls within this high range. Many of these areas in the South will prove to be very expensive during the summer, when your utility bills will soar. However, for retirees, northern Arizona is an increasingly important destination, since it is warm, but not nearly as hot as the remainder of the state.
The East and West
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The eastern part of the U.S. is hotter than the western part. Most of the eastern seaboard, with the exception of new England, is in the next highest range of the stress index after the South. From Florida up to, roughly, Connecticut, the "heat stress" is about 86 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit. The west coast, almost in its entirety, has heat indexed temperature at about 72 to 74 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, a data set maintained by the National Climatic Data Center hold that the east and west are getting hotter. In the mid 1990s, the two extremes of American geography saw over 20 days per year over the average index heat threshold of 85 percent of the average. "Business Week" reported that places like the northeastern part of California were becoming more popular areas to retire, partially for this reason. Parts of northern California are fairly inexpensive, with a pleasant temperature during the hotter months.
The North and Midwest
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Much of the Midwest is in the higher ranges of the heat index, with the exception of Minnesota and the Dakotas. The heart of the Midwest, including Nebraska and Iowa, have the same heat indexes as most of the East coast, roughly hovering at about 86 to 87 degrees. The cool states of the mountain time zone, including Utah, Nevada and Colorado, remain at a comfortable 75 degrees indexed on average. It is no accident that Colorado is becoming an increasingly popular retirement destination. There is little change in the middle parts of the United States in terms of its average "heat stress" figures. The coolest states in America are Alaska and the northern tips of Washington, Idaho and Montana, with an indexed heat average of about 61 to 63 degrees Fahrenheit.
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