Why mild temperatures in St. Louis can feel colder in the fall than in the spring

On November 20, 2024By Littum

ST. LOUIS – Sixty degree temperatures in St. Louis region is set to drop to highs in the 50s later in the work week.

On paper, it’s a mild temperature change. But such a swing can feel colder in the fall months compared to other points of the year. For some, the 60s or 50s in the fall may feel colder than an identical temperature in the spring.

Reader’s Digest recently explored this topic with experienced meteorologists, noting that while some environmental factors play a role, much of how one’s temperatures feel across different seasons is also a matter of perception.

As FOX 2 meteorologist Jaime Travers explains, temperatures of 60 degrees can feel very different depending on factors like wind, cloud cover and how our bodies adjust to temperature changes.

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For example, when it is 60 degrees and sunny with no wind, it will feel pleasantly warm, especially in areas with direct sunlight. Warming up to that point after a period of colder weather will also be refreshing for our bodies that struggle against such conditions.

But when it’s 60 degrees and overcast with strong winds, the same temperature can feel much colder. By autumn, our bodies have largely adapted to the summer heat, so a change of pace to colder air can feel a bit shocking at first.

Which adds to sharp autumn weather, which St. Louis 11 meteorologist John Fuller explains, gives a lower sun angle for St. Louis in the fall less direct heat from the sun. Stronger winds are linked to faster moving weather systems and pressure changes that amplify the cooling effect.

During the fall and winter months, people will often refer to the metric for wind cooling to get an idea of the feel-like temperature. Wind chill represents how the air temperature feels on human skin due to current temperatures and wind conditions, so it gives an idea of how cold the outdoors may feel at any given time, but it does not truly reflect the air temperature.

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Even without calculating a formal wind chill, keeping a close eye on wind patterns can make a difference in the “feels like” temperature.

This phenomenon is known as advection of cold air. A strong northwesterly wind carrying cold air, which often occurs in late fall or winter, can make seemingly mild temperatures feel fresh. Conversely, a southerly wind, like Monday and Tuesday, could make similar temperatures feel closer to their mild marks.

Overall, it is usually not just one environmental or perceptual factor that explains why the same temperature may feel different at different times of the year, but rather a combination of variables.

Reader’s Digest also offered some of these reasons why similar temperatures feel different during certain parts of the year:

Higher humidity makes it feel warmer. St. Louis humidity decreases during the colder months.
A warm earth radiates more heat. More likely after warmer stretches in the spring.
Heights can make a difference.
Being near a body of water can help release heat.
Older adults have lower body temperatures than younger adults and children.

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