Does AZ heat really feel that bad? (Phoenix: transplants, work)

[kdog]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

IT GETS HOT HERE.

No it doesn't. I'm sitting here biting my tongue because folks like you give the impression that Phoenix is the ONLY city in Arizona. It's not. In fact, it's one tiny geographical area of the state, where it just so happens that most of the people live.

Flagstaff doesn't get hot, at least by Phoenix standards, and neither does Kingman. You want paradise -- perfect weather, clean air, low cost of living, and no traffic? Come to Kingman.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by miamiman

It rained a lot more often than once a week last summer. Tucson receives a significant chunk of its precipitation outside of the monsoon, too. Only about 60% of total annual rainfall fell in those 8-10 weeks of the monsoon

Yeah, we were there in late July and early August and there were many days where we had rain either directly on us, or very close by. The monsoon was absolutely spectacular!

Ken

[steve22]

Originally Posted by LBear

Here is typical Denver weather:
CLICK HERE

No hail in Denver? The $600+ million dollar damage from the ONE hail storm was in central Denver. Here is some video proof of hail last year in DOWNTOWN Denver....
CLICK HERE

As far as tornadoes, on June 15, 1988, a group of tornadoes passed over the metro area. Two areas of the city suffered heavy damage due to tornado touch downs. On June 2, 1993, an F-1 rated tornado struck central Denver. According to the National Weather Service, there have been 12 tornado touch downs in central Denver since 1950.

Once you go east, south & north of Denver, into the suburbs, those numbers jump tremendously. 148 TORNADO'S in Adams County since 1950 & 234 TORNADO'S in Weld County since 1950. Over 1,731 tornadoes have hit Colorado since 1950.

My point is this, ONE EXTREME (Heat) is what you get in Phoenix. In Denver, you get EVERY EXTREME WEATHER PHENOMENA OUT THERE. One extreme is enough, in Denver you deal with 7+ extremes.

I never said that it doesn't hail in central Denver; just that it was never a problem for me when I lived there, probably because I had the good sense not to go driving around in the late afternoon when the skies turned black. Generally, I'm working during that time of day anyway. Like I said, the summer thunderstorms are pretty predictable as far as when they occur, and as long as you park under cover and don't go driving around in it, you're not likely to suffer any damage from it. And I would say that 12 tornadoes in close to 60 years hitting central Denver hardly signifies a tornado problem in the middle of the city. you can look up the weather history of pretty much any U.S. city in a temperate climate zone and find a record of some number of tornadoes hitting at some point in history; that's hardly a reason, to me, to discount living anywhere as too dangerous. if you can find out the history of any morbidity and mortality caused by tornadoes in Denver, I'd love to see it.

My point is this: most people who dislike the weather back east or in the midwest feel the way they do because it's too humid, too cloudy or too snowy, or all three. Denver has low humidity and sunny days aplenty, which beats the midwest hands down. And with the low humidity and intense sun, the snow generally vanishes within a few days of a snowstorm, unlike the midwest. Although it does get cold sometimes in the winter, I've been pleasantly surprised to find that daytime highs here are usually pretty mild, and that winters are a whole lot more pleasant when it's sunny most of the time. And when the occasional snowstorm does hit, it doesn't stick around on the ground too long, assuming you're not up in the mountains.

To each their own- but for me, I've experienced both, and I'll gladly take the generally great, occasionally unpredictable or extreme weather of Denver (or anywhere else in the rocky mountain region) over the predictably brutal, constant, extreme heat of Phoenix you're subjected to for half the year. Put it this way: 3 months ago, I was skiing, hiking, and enjoying myself outdoors here. Right now I'm biking, hiking, and enjoying myself outdoors here. And you know what? In 3 months, I'll be doing the same thing. What will you be doing in 3 months in Phoenix? Unless you're a reptile, my guess is that the answer to that question is sitting inside the a/c somewhere, praying for October to arrive ASAP. Glad that ain't me anymore.

[steve22]

Originally Posted by kdog

No it doesn't. I'm sitting here biting my tongue because folks like you give the impression that Phoenix is the ONLY city in Arizona. It's not. In fact, it's one tiny geographical area of the state, where it just so happens that most of the people live.

Flagstaff doesn't get hot, at least by Phoenix standards, and neither does Kingman. You want paradise -- perfect weather, clean air, low cost of living, and no traffic? Come to Kingman.

Can't argue there. Kingman does seem like a very nice, small city. Ditto for Flag and Prescott. I've always said that AZ is a beautiful state and there are numerous great places where I'd gladly live; Phoenix is not one of them, and Tucson is rapidly losing its appeal as well.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by kdog

No it doesn't. I'm sitting here biting my tongue because folks like you give the impression that Phoenix is the ONLY city in Arizona. It's not. In fact, it's one tiny geographical area of the state, where it just so happens that most of the people live.

Flagstaff doesn't get hot, at least by Phoenix standards, and neither does Kingman. You want paradise -- perfect weather, clean air, low cost of living, and no traffic? Come to Kingman.

yup, your right, im talking about phoenix....the area where most of us live (and love living). Its why I love this state, I want to get some shady hiking in, as I have been desert hiking for months. Im off to Northern Az, just above flaggstaff to get some forest hiking in. I am correct however, as HERE referres to where my rear is sitting at this moment. It has, does, and will get hot here. God bless the desert. Long live the valley.

[LBear]

Originally Posted by steve22

My point is this: most people who dislike the weather back east or in the midwest feel the way they do because it's too humid, too cloudy or too snowy, or all three.

Although it does get cold sometimes in the winter, I've been pleasantly surprised to find that daytime highs here are usually pretty mild, and that winters are a whole lot more pleasant when it's sunny most of the time.

I agree, Denver's weather is BETTER than the midwest. Where I DISAGREE is that Denver's weather is better than Phoenix or Arizona in general. I lived in Denver, Chicago, Arizona and other areas, so I can compare them quite competently.

Avg. Temps for Denver:
NOVEMBER 50F - 21F
DECEMBER 43F - 14F
JANUARY 41F - 12F
FEBRUARY 47F - 17F
MARCH 54F - 24F

You call that a MILD winter??? With daytime highs barely hitting 40F for 3 months and the lows dropping in the teens and the single digits with the wind chill. Then a low of -25F with a -45F wind chill, that is mild?

Denver is 100x windier than Chicago ever was. The wind gusts out there are HORRIBLE. That is why Denver and Colorado are rated as an A+ place for wind power. It is SO WINDY out there.

Yes, it's sunny but there is NO WAY that Denver is a mild winter. Compared to Chicago, yes.

Originally Posted by steve22

To each their own- but for me, I've experienced both, and I'll gladly take the generally great, occasionally unpredictable or extreme weather of Denver (or anywhere else in the rocky mountain region) over the predictably brutal, constant, extreme heat of Phoenix you're subjected to for half the year.

Half the year? Right now it is in the 80's and it feels cold due to low humidity.

Phoenix avg. temps:
September 97F - 75F
October 86F - 63F
November 73F - 50F
December 65F - 44F
January 65F - 43F
February 69F - 47F
March 74F - 51F
April 83F - 58F
May 92F - 66F

June - August = 3MONTHS 103F - 80F

You have THREE MONTHS, not half the year that it is really hot.

It is quite obvious that you DISLIKE Phoenix and it shows in your comments. We will have to agree to disagree...

[Barbie4747]

Originally Posted by kdog

No it doesn't. I'm sitting here biting my tongue because folks like you give the impression that Phoenix is the ONLY city in Arizona. It's not. In fact, it's one tiny geographical area of the state, where it just so happens that most of the people live.

Flagstaff doesn't get hot, at least by Phoenix standards, and neither does Kingman. You want paradise -- perfect weather, clean air, low cost of living, and no traffic? Come to Kingman.

I think that is the great thing about AZ. If you want hot - you can have hot. If you want some relief, it's relatively easy to get to in a short amount of time. And, it never gets to be -30 degrees! In MN, there is no escape. You are landlocked in cold/snow for months and the only escape is an expensive plane ticket to get South! If you like hot weather and sun, the midwest is no place to be!

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by LBear

I agree, Denver's weather is BETTER than the midwest. Where I DISAGREE is that Denver's weather is better than Phoenix or Arizona in general. I lived in Denver, Chicago, Arizona and other areas, so I can compare them quite competently.

Avg. Temps for Denver:
NOVEMBER 50F - 21F
DECEMBER 43F - 14F
JANUARY 41F - 12F
FEBRUARY 47F - 17F
MARCH 54F - 24F

You call that a MILD winter??? With daytime highs barely hitting 40F for 3 months and the lows dropping in the teens and the single digits with the wind chill. Then a low of -25F with a -45F wind chill, that is mild?

Denver is 100x windier than Chicago ever was. The wind gusts out there are HORRIBLE. That is why Denver and Colorado are rated as an A+ place for wind power. It is SO WINDY out there.

Yes, it's sunny but there is NO WAY that Denver is a mild winter. Compared to Chicago, yes.



Half the year? Right now it is in the 80's and it feels cold due to low humidity.

Phoenix avg. temps:
September 97F - 75F
October 86F - 63F
November 73F - 50F
December 65F - 44F
January 65F - 43F
February 69F - 47F
March 74F - 51F
April 83F - 58F
May 92F - 66F

June - August = 3MONTHS 103F - 80F

You have THREE MONTHS, not half the year that it is really hot.

It is quite obvious that you DISLIKE Phoenix and it shows in your comments. We will have to agree to disagree...

I just moved from Colorado. I agree with that Denver does not have mild winters. With the wind passing along that cold front, I thought the freeze was actually quite painfull. When your nose bleeds in the morning from the dryness, and then you go out into that chill, only to get a sunburn from the sunshine you can barely feel, its just all out of wack if you ask me. Man I don't miss slipping and sliding on the sidewalks, and my tires did not agree with icey roads.

You cannot predict the weather there. I know one thing. Im going to wake up here in gilbert in the morning, and its not giong to snow. In fact, Its going to be warm.

[LBear]

Originally Posted by sberdrow

I just moved from Colorado. I agree with that Denver does not have mild winters. With the wind passing along that cold front, I thought the freeze was actually quite painfull. When your nose bleeds in the morning from the dryness, and then you go out into that chill, only to get a sunburn from the sunshine you can barely feel, its just all out of wack if you ask me. Man I don't miss slipping and sliding on the sidewalks, and my tires did not agree with icey roads.

You cannot predict the weather there. I know one thing. Im going to wake up here in gilbert in the morning, and its not giong to snow. In fact, Its going to be warm.

I agree 100%. The weather is VERY unpredictable in Colorado. Denver forecasts change all the time. Two days from now, they show sunny and 75F, then the day before, they will change it to cold, snow and 30F due to a front that came out of nowhere.

Denver is known by meteorologist as having some of the most extreme and unpredictable weather in the entire USA.
They completely missed those TWO BLIZZARDS they had last winter, they didn't see them coming until the day before. Mind you those blizzards were in APRIL. It can still snow in May in Denver.

[actinic]

Originally Posted by miamiman

It rained a lot more often than once a week last summer.

Yes, but 10 days had less than 1/10 of an inch measurable precip, hardly noticeable.

Anything over is considered gully washers by the locals, lol.

edit: only 2 days where 24 hr precip has exceeded 1/2 inch since July. Interesting articles on the drought in the local paper.