It should come as no surprise that when climatologists started to study "oppressive weather," they looked to Louisiana.  Our special brand of sticky, sweaty, and heavy heat has always been considered to be very constricting - but now, those same weather scientists have have consented that the title of most oppressive belongs to the Bayou State.

Climatologist and Forbes contributor Brian Brettschneider, published his recent study about the good, bad, and ugly in regards to localized climate - and the data has found Louisiana wanting.  Before he could officially announce Louisiana as the most oppressive, he had to define what oppressive was.  Here are the criteria:

  • Temperature 95°F or warmer or heat index 95°F or warmer
  • If temp or heat index < 95°F, dew point 75° or higher
  • Wind 10 mph or less
  • Between the hours of noon and 6 p.m.

In case you haven't noticed, that's us to a "T."  Almost all of Louisiana falls into this category, as does some of Texas and Florida (Beaumont and Tallahassee respectively).  The research found that residents of the Sportsman's Paradise endure 95°+ temperatures, high humidity, and very little wind between 40% and 70% of the time in the summer.  Compare that to the 1% to 5% places like Michigan and New York experience every summer.

FYI, Mr. Brettschneider's data shows that the next most oppressive region is the desert areas of southern Arizona.

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