How cold (perceived) are Phoenix area winters? (place to live, pool)

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by randian

Why do snowbirds come to Phoenix then? Sounds like a bait and switch.

Because while it is bitterly cold here, it is brutally cold there. And it's sunny here almost all day, every day. In the midwest, the days are short and the clouds hang over the world for days and even weeks on end. I could deal with the cold, but not the lack of sunshine.

[observer53]

And, we don't shovel our cold, or our heat.

[apexin]

It never really gets all that cold here. Yes, we did have a day or two where it didnt get above 40 something, but other than that, my kids have been wearing flip flops and tshirts in the afternoon all Winter. We do have a winter though. I thought it would be like the tropics and never get even close to cold here, but it does. We also have seasons here and most people outside of Phoenix think we dont. Its feeling like Spring right now and the Desert is green as can be. I would think you will be ok for your first winter with just a light jacket, but after a short while, you blood thins and 40 degrees feels cold. I for one cant wait for 100 degrees to get here so we can get back to enjoying the pool at night. Nothing like sitting in the pool at 10pm when its still 98 degrees. LOVE IT.

[khuntrevor]

It is kind of ironic that some of the biggest events of the year occur, when the chances of cold weather are the highest. Apparently, the golf tournament has practically been cursed, and the weather at PIR was pretty bad last weekend. March, April, October, and November are much more guaranteed to have prime sunshine and better weather. But, then again they've had the Super Bowl in Minnesota, Detroit, and unbelievably next year in Joisey.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

It is kind of ironic that some of the biggest events of the year occur, when the chances of cold weather are the highest. Apparently, the golf tournament has practically been cursed, and the weather at PIR was pretty bad last weekend. March, April, October, and November are much more guaranteed to have prime sunshine and better weather. But, then again they've had the Super Bowl in Minnesota, Detroit, and unbelievably next year in Joisey.

And this year in Dallas in a snow storm. FWIW, people I know who went to PIR for the race thought the weather was super. It was brilliant sunshine, breezy and cool. Hard to beat that.

[greendesert]

I guess to me it's not so much the cold but the temperature swings is what aggravates me the most. I ride the bus to work currently, and there were a few days this winter that put me in a realy nasty mood.
I'm dealing with some serious health issues and when the temperature fluctuates by as much as 40 degrees between day and night, it just makes me more tired and miserable. I sometimes miss the marine weather in the PNW where the temperature swings are minimal.

Still, I'd take this any day over what seems like a never ending winter up north.

[hart4july]

uh,reality check! Biting cold???I moved here from Indiana last year and we were unable to get all our clothes moved out right away. I spent the Winter in sandals and hoodies and sweaters-no coats no gloves no hats.
I have not been truly really cold since I moved here. My feet never really thawed out in Indiana winters- I have some kind of circulation problem that makes my extremities cold- here I have been chilly. But not once frozen. its awesome, I love it!!
Its true about the fluctuations,we had many overnight chill temps-but benevolent Senor Sun comes out nearly every day to give a nice pleasant bit of warmth. Are people really so unhappy that it does warm up later in the day? What if it did not and it remained grey and chilly all day? Been there/done my time. And then there are the really nice sunny blue sky 62-66 degree days that pop up occasionally in the Winter to go the park or for a walk without a jacket. You never get a break like that in other parts of the country.
Greendesert I realize that the temp swings may be an issue for you health wise, that's rough, but it really is better for most of us than the alternative.

[azriverfan.]

It's not that we lack cold weather, we just lack ice and snow. It's one thing to have some unpleasant weather during our winter it's another thing to have life altering weather that closes schools, airports, roads and forces people to shovel snow and salt the drive way and start your car 15 minutes prior to leaving for work. Yeah, it gets cold here in the winter in which you have to wear a coat and long sleeves but you won't have to wear a hat and gloves and you won't worry about driving on ice on the freeways. That's why people love the winters here. It's cold enough but to the point that it disrupts your life like what we saw in Dallas during the Superbowl in which the airport and highways were shut down.

Of course, someone is going to chime in now and provide this winter as an example of snow in Phoenix just to contradict me but that was an exception and clearly not the rule. The winter this year was very atypical. Trust me, the haters were whining about how the heat extender longer and longer into the year just a couple of years ago on this forum. Now they will change tactics and try to play the "Phoenix is colder than you thought" angle to put down the Valley.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

And this year in Dallas in a snow storm. FWIW, people I know who went to PIR for the race thought the weather was super. It was brilliant sunshine, breezy and cool. Hard to beat that.

Not only that, but the weather during the Phoenix Open on the weekend was beautiful too. The weather during the middle of the week prior to the start of the tournament and the Thursday was cold but not the entire tournament like some falsely believe.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

It is bitter cold in Dec-Feb. If you come from the north pole for a visit, it might seem pleasant, but if you live here year round it is awful. Can't sit outside evenings and morning, too cold to fish. Summer is the other way around. There is only one good month out of the year and that is March.

Depends on perception and individual tolerance. The vast majority of the time, December, January, and February are not bitter cold, but quite pleasant actually. It's normal for maybe one "bitter cold spell" during the winter when low temps drop into the 30s (which is cold by our standards).

Originally Posted by observer53

Along with the difference in perception from person to person, it's clear that, as others have indicated, what you are used to from somewhere else really affects that perception. For those of us who've lived here a long time or virtually all our lives, the winters can seem cold, while we have adapted to the extent possible to the heat of summer.

Unless some who have lived here a long time develop health conditions which make them more intolerant to the heat. I've noticed that younger people are generally fine with the summer heat, but the older ones are not so much. Tranplants often are more tolerant to it at first as well, then they become tired of it after a while. I really think that, generally speaking, the longer you live here, the more weary and intolerant one becomes of the seemingly endless heat that starts in late May or June, and lasts all the way into early October.

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

Of course, someone is going to chime in now and provide this winter as an example of snow in Phoenix just to contradict me but that was an exception and clearly not the rule. The winter this year was very atypical. Trust me, the haters were whining about how the heat extender longer and longer into the year just a couple of years ago on this forum. Now they will change tactics and try to play the "Phoenix is colder than you thought" angle to put down the Valley.

Compared to several decades ago, the heat is starting a little earlier and lasting longer. There are NWS statistics documenting this. What's even more noticeable is how the summer nights are warmer than what they used to be because of the urban heat island effect.

But yes, this winter was not typical due to the fact that there were unusually harsh cold spells ... not once, not twice, but three different times! The cold snap in early February was especially brutal because it was associated with extremely dry air, and wind chills that were more typical of what you'd find in the Midwest. However, the same heat island phenomenon that makes summer nights more unpleasant actually acts as a benefit during the winter. Without it, we would have easily set some all time record low minimum temperatures last month.