It doesn't really even rain anymore

[Ponderosa]

It's raining with thunder and lightening at my place right now!

[maverick974]

Originally Posted by mistygrl092

Well, that explains it, but not the geckos. I've read the bee population is dying off too, but that has nothing to do with Phoenix per se. Just that things are changing and I can't explain just where the geckos went.

I guess I am thinking of moving to Portland, where I'll most likely be bemoaning all the rain. Can't win for losing. Still, I can't stand a steady diet of heat with no rain. And the way things are headed, it just looks like less rain going forward and I need some rain!

I know that you don't care for it here any longer mistygirl but just a word of warning. Watch what you wish for, you just might get it.
I just moved from Oregon 2 weeks ago. I was on the central coast. Plan on wet weather from mid September until July. Grey skies, constant rain will get to you just as much as the constant sunshine. Temps most of the year in the mid 50's and lower most of the year. Colder at night. In December and January count on the high temps in the low to mid 40's.
The only good months are July, August and into September.
If you do choose to move, throw away the sandles, all but 2 pair of shorts and anything short sleeve. You won't need them at all.
Oregon is beautiful but it wasn't for me any longer. Too much gloom and wet for me but perhaps you'll love it there. There must be a reason that Portland is the largest city in Oregon and I wish you well.

[sagewithaflaw]

I'm in South Scottsdale and we didn't get much rain either - just a few sprinkles, although the lightning was fun to watch (better than fireworks IMO) and there was a nice cooling breeze - I was out walking the dog and it was fairly pleasant.

I second the notion about "be careful what you wish for". After a decade living in Phoenix, I find I am much less tolerant of other kinds of weather. Yes, the summers here are brutal - no use trying to soften that. But I spent most of the last 2 years in Texas (Dallas & Austin) and the weather changes were miserable for me. The summers in Texas were nearly as hot, but you also get the humidity, which made it very uncomfortable to be outside, especially in the mornings and evenings, which is when I like to exercise. Some Austinites think it's dry there, and I suppose if you moved there from Florida or Louisiana, it might seem that way, but coming from Phoenix, it was oppressive, and there was no escape, even in the shade. It was like someone was following behind me with a spray bottle, and everything was sticky feeling. Even going to bed, the sheets felt like they were pulled out of the dryer too soon - that damp kind of thing.

And then there were the bugs - for some reason, I've always been a lightning rod for mosquitos, and living in Phoenix, I had forgotten how pesky and annoying they were. In Texas, if you left an outdoor light on at night, the window and screen would be littered with mosquitos, beetles, roaches, cicadas, etc. And my legs paid the price - still have scars on my calves from all the bites and subsequent scratching, even though I used Off! spray religiously.

The winters were not much better - it seemed like more days than not were gloomy & overcast, and that can be a real downer for me. I hate walking outside to see a battleship-gray sky. It made me appreciate the fact that nearly every day in Phoenix, you wake up to a sunny day. For me, that always tends to start my day off right. I couldn't imagine living in Portland or Seattle for an extended period - the lack of sunshine is a real drag after being here.

Not to say that there weren't nice things about living there - and of course, weather is only 1 factor in making a moving decision. For most, jobs and/or family/friends will trump everything else. I also think that in my 20's, the weather was less of a concern for me (I grew up in Michigan and detested the winters there, so anywhere with a mild winter was better). But I find that the older I get, the more picky I am about climate and I plan on staying here in Phoenix, with it's predictable, hot, sunny, & dry geography. The summers are tough, but are worth getting through for the perfect weather the rest of the year. Everyone has their own choices to make of course, with their own set of criteria - not trying to say you'll have as tough of an adjustment as I did if you do move, just sharing my own personal experiences as food for thought...

[slackjaw]

2008 was one of the wettest years.

2008 was Phoenix area's 14th wettest year - USATODAY.com

[Maroon197]

I'll counter some of the be careful what you wish for posts by saying that I grew up in PHX and was terrified that I wouldn't be able to handle less sun if I moved away. Then I moved up to New England a little over a year ago and have found the variations in weather to be so refreshing. It's still the honeymoon period, but at least here you know the weather will change and give you something new and different. You certainly won't go from october to April without measurable rain like we did in Phoenix a few years back, and that's done wonders for my psyche. I actually think I had a form of SAD back in Phoenix from staying inside all the time during the summer. Four season weather allows me to feel connected to nature in a way I never did in AZ.

[slackjaw]

To each their own I guess, I've lived in places with four seasons and I much prefer Arizona's weather.

I'm easily out and about more in the summer of AZ than I am in the colder winter season elsewhere.

[DewDropInn]

We had an hour of heavy rain, thunder, lightning in the far NE Valley.

[sagewithaflaw]

Interesting post Maroon - I have known other native Arizonans who have moved away & come to appreciate the 4 seasons variety. I have family back in Michigan who LOVE coming out here for Christmas, but in conversation, will tell you flat out they'd never want to live in Phoenix. I'm a very outdoor oriented person as well, and I find myself outside and doing more things in the summer MUCH more than I did back in the brutal Michigan winters. Here, I can still walk the dog, ride my bike, go golfing (early mind you), sit out on the shaded back deck and grill, and take a dip in the pool. Phoenix lifestyle has always seemed like living on a resort to me (minus the sandy beaches lol). In Michigan, when it's below freezing outside, with snow/ice everywhere, you can't do ANY of those things. You do get exercise shoveling snow and snowblowing, or scraping ice off your car windows, but I used to hate having to do those on a regular basis, as well as the white-knuckle car rides on slippery roads. It might have been better if I was into more winter activities - snowmobiling, hunting, ice skating, skiing, etc but in the winters I was truly a hermit, only venturing outside if I absolutely had to. I really like the fact that here, if I'm jonesing to see some snow, I can drive to Flagstaff on the weekend, and then come back to shorts and flip flops.

To each their own - I'd prefer SoCal weather over ours here, but for me, it's not worth the traffic/crowding & exorbitant price tag. Glad you are enjoying the variety though - plenty of climates in this country for everyone to find & enjoy their preference

[roosevelt]

When I was a kid thunder would almost knock you out of your bed; we would go swimming in the streets; curbs were much higher and few storm drains.

[ibarrio]

in 1995 there was no real rain until August.

2008 was wetter than 1995 and the wettest since 1984. 1996-1997 were below average. I think time distorts reality. The heat island might changed the time when the storms roll in but the storms are still happening. I know we got blasted last year in Surprise.

National Weather Service - NWS Tucson