Hot! Hot! Hot!

[miamiman]

I find summer in Arizona very tolerable. The temperature varies significantly throughout the state with average high around 80 in the coolest spots to around 107 degrees in the warmest part of the state. The monsoon does add a significant amount of humidity into the state during from mid-July to early-September. Low temperatures in this state seem to be driven primarily be elevation and land cover. If you live in an urbanized, low-desert area temperatures will not fall as much as if you lived in a rural, low desert area.

It is usually more humid the farther south and east you travel in the state. It does just get as humid as it does in Florida in parts of the state during the monsoon. Dewpoint temperatures got to about 73-74 degrees during my visit to Tucson in July. The positive is that with higher humdity, cooler temperatures come. It's never 110 degrees and extremely humid. Temperatures are usually lower into the mid 90s to low 100s when higher humidity moves in.

Southern areas of the state also receive the greatest amount of rain during the summer monsoon. Many areas in eastern Pima (Tucson area), and Cochise Counties received between 5 and 7 inches of rain during the month of July, while Phoenix received .36 of an inch of rain.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by miamiman

I find summer in Arizona very tolerable. The temperature varies significantly throughout the state with average high around 80 in the coolest spots to around 107 degrees in the warmest part of the state. The monsoon does add a significant amount of humidity into the state during from mid-July to early-September. Low temperatures in this state seem to be driven primarily be elevation and land cover. If you live in an urbanized, low-desert area temperatures will not fall as much as if you lived in a rural, low desert area.

It is usually more humid the farther south and east you travel in the state. It does just get as humid as it does in Florida in parts of the state during the monsoon. Dewpoint temperatures got to about 73-74 degrees during my visit to Tucson in July. The positive is that with higher humdity, cooler temperatures come. It's never 110 degrees and extremely humid. Temperatures are usually lower into the mid 90s to low 100s when higher humidity moves in.

Southern areas of the state also receive the greatest amount of rain during the summer monsoon. Many areas in eastern Pima (Tucson area), and Cochise Counties received between 5 and 7 inches of rain during the month of July, while Phoenix received .36 of an inch of rain.

70 degree dewpoints are exceedingly rare, even in monsoon season. Dewpoints are at their highest in the morning and fall due to mixing as the day wears on. Typically daytime dewpoints are in the upper 50s with a run into the low 60s now and then. The highest dewpoints are found in the Yuma area where they are frequently in the 70s owing to gulf surges. Unfortunately for the poor souls in Yuma, those high dewpoints rarely translate to rain because it is just low level moisture.

[sheena]

Originally Posted by Boatdrinks

I'd take AZ in August over FL in August any day. FL is brutal in the summer. You drip sweat all day and it's miserable. I truly can't stand humidity. I don't care if it's 60% or 90% - in my book, it's all semantics when you get above 50% or so. Either way, you always look like you just walked out of the shower, but you always feel like you need a shower. Blech!

That said, summer in AZ is rough. It's hot and it's long. Really long. Monsoon brings humidity too, so you won't be escaping that completely. You just don't get as much of it here as you do in FL. And don't forget we don't have the fabulous beaches and ocean that you guys do.

Definitely come visit a few times during the summer before you decide. My recommendation is to NOT move here if it's just for the weather, but I'd say that for any state too.

Good post I agree, except I'm into moist not dry, I have never lived in Florida but from my vacations I always liked that thick smelling beachy humidity I'm gonna miss that. It's probably not as humid here in Myrtle beach as Fla.


Very good point don't move for the weather, I have just recently learned this concept, like a week ago. I think I'd be willing to do the snow thing again if I had the opportunity I liked the Philadelphia area a lot. I never thought I would ever say that.

[ComputerGuy]

Thanks for the information so far, I'm definitely not looking to move simply for the weather. I just want a change, and I prefer the West coast area as opposed to the East Coast.

I would like the ability to drive over to California, but I don't really want to live there.

I'm definitely going to weigh my options, but thanks for the input so far.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by nitram

Steve, I also checked with one of NOAA's sites and one of the Univ of Florida sites and they both mention the high heat, humidity and the dangers of it in Florida in some of their articles. And others on this site have also experienced it too, so I would say you are in the minority.

I definitely agree that its extremely humid and hot (but not as hot as AZ), but my point was that its not 90 degrees with 100% humidity. More like 90 degrees with 55-60% humidity during peak temps, and 70-85% when its cooler in the morning and at night.

[miamiman]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

70 degree dewpoints are exceedingly rare, even in monsoon season. Dewpoints are at their highest in the morning and fall due to mixing as the day wears on. Typically daytime dewpoints are in the upper 50s with a run into the low 60s now and then. The highest dewpoints are found in the Yuma area where they are frequently in the 70s owing to gulf surges. Unfortunately for the poor souls in Yuma, those high dewpoints rarely translate to rain because it is just low level moisture.

I hear that 70 degree dewpoints are exceedingly rare across the state. This summer there were frequent periods where Tucson saw dewpoints well into the 70s. I did notice that at the most random times Yuma had the highest dewpoint in the state, by far.

I guess the abnormal dewpoint in Tucson might help to explain why there was so much rain in July. I am pleased to here that dewpoints usually hover around 60 degrees in a normal monsoon.