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High desert areas certainly get four seasons. That would be most of New Mexico. Northern Arizona would. Albuquerque is over a mile high. Santa Fe over 7,000 ft. Flagstaff and Taos about the same. Phoenix is 1,000 — makes a big difference in climate and seasons.
Low desert in southern AZ just has four different seasons:
Right now, it's "fall" in the sense of it's warm to hot, dry (post-Monsoon; see below) and lower/gentler sun angle. Snowbirds are arriving.
"Winter" to follow may have more rain. Or not. It's helpful for there to be rain. Coldest time of year on average is late December; no proximate ocean to moderate the sun angle's ruddering of air temperatures. Non-semi-resident vacationers peak flock in February/March.
"Spring" is dry and becomes the hottest time of year (at which point snowbirds leave) because the sun angle is high and it's dry. Dust can be at peak, especially if winter was dry. (Well, dust is often an issue; need to get used to a fine silt getting into your sinuses and everywhere. If you live there long enough, you will almost certainly get Valley Fever at some point, courtesy of said dust because that's where the fungus is endemic.)
"Monsoon" aka summer is more humid (due to seasonal air movements from the Sea of Cortez), hopefully wetter, and therefore perhaps 5F+ degrees cooler than late spring. 2020 was a "Nonsoon" - which led to huge wildfires. 2021's monsoon was big, producing a greening up of a kind something like seen in India. e.g., https://tinyurl.com/34v8sunu
There are 4 seasons in a large part of the American Southwest. As Sun Grins said, that's the high desert and then into nearby mountains where summers are still warm. "High" meaning elevations above about 3,500 ft south (El Paso, Benson) to 2,000 ft north (Las Vegas, St George).
Elevation or latitude can combine - Las Vegas summers can be infernal at times like Phoenix, and Alamosa winter lows can be bitter like the northern plains or Rocky Mountain valleys.
Phoenix and Tucson are lower, so they usually have no real winter, meaning few hard freezes. But mid-winter is often cooler than the coastal slopes of southern California. Depends on how one defines winter.
Others say we have 5 seasons. From the middle section of Arizona into all of New Mexico, it's winter, spring, early summer, late summer (monsoon), and fall. I would add that in the lower desert below my elevation ranges, it's spring, early summer, hyper-summer (the summer version of a Minnesota winter), late summer (monsoon), and fall.
Last edited by nmdesert; 11-18-2021 at 05:10 PM..
Reason: Forgot the monsoon season
Reno isn’t the southwest. Vegas is though, and doesn’t get four seasons.
Phoenix has three seasons. Melting, monsoon, and hot. As I’m sitting here towards the end of November and it’s currently 83, I’d say it’s the hot season.
Reno isn’t the southwest. Vegas is though, and doesn’t get four seasons.
Phoenix has three seasons. Melting, monsoon, and hot. As I’m sitting here towards the end of November and it’s currently 83, I’d say it’s the hot season.
If 83 is hot to you, boy are you in the wrong place! 81 here in Tucson and it's lovely, cool and refreshing.
If 83 is hot to you, boy are you in the wrong place! 81 here in Tucson and it's lovely, cool and refreshing.
I don’t want it to be 83 in November. I want sweater weather. Yes we have some up north but just as much as anyone else, it’s difficult for me to go up there especially on the weekends. The I-17 is a mess. I personally do want to relocate however.
You are in Tucson where things are better. A negligible difference in the summer but amount Lemmon is as close as a snow capped mountain could ever get to a city.
Out of the southwest region, half is hot desert and half is cold desert (high desert) outside of the southwest in places like California, Utah, northern Nevada, it’s about 25% hot desert (California) and 75% cold desert. Lots of people here are talking about the high desert and it’s true that the high desert has four seasons if it’s lucky enough to get snow especially with climate change, but the hot desert which is close to half of the desert land area here certainly does not.
Santa Fe is the only city in the southwest that arguably gets any reliable form of winter and that’s due to its very high elevation. But to anyone not from the southwest or southeast, the winters here are pitiful and basically fall to other places in the country. If that’s what you are looking for, then it’s a good deal. Mild winters are appealing to many. Me included. I’ve always said that ABQ and Santa Fe have some of the best weather in the US. But even there a reliable four seasons like you see out east is not going to happen, due to the sheer aridity and sunshine preventing snow from falling and snow from staying around. And also the lack of coniferous trees that change colors (yes we have some, but most of them are evergreens).
Other cities in the southwest area that get reliable snow and changing colors are also not in the desert areas, like Prescott and Flagstaff (which snows as much as Buffalo NY).
If you want a Costco sample of fall and winter then yes, this region has four seasons in some desert areas (except Santa Fe as I already stated). We are close to many places with true four seasons, but if you get stuck doing chores and catch up on the weekends you’ll find that you don’t get to use that amenity as much as you want.
For someone wanting more reliable four seasons, it’s easier to look outside of the southwest, in places like Reno, SLC, Denver for major cities, and then north from there.
Mild winters are appealing to many. Me included. I’ve always said that ABQ and Santa Fe have some of the best weather in the US. But even there a reliable four seasons like you see out east is not going to happen, due to the sheer aridity and sunshine preventing snow from falling and snow from staying around.
....And we are very happy with that kind of winter. Albuquerque has the Goldilocks four season climate. You can see the snow on the Sandias about 5,000 feet higher up but, if it snows in the city it usually lasts a few hours and you use a broom to sweep it off the sidewalks in a sweater or shirt sleeves. The sun and low humidity helps. Coming from the Midwest, this climate is heaven if you want four seasons -- but the dryness is not for everybody.
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