Isn't this weather awesome?! (Phoenix: moving, area, cities)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BillyBaroo

I hated it when I was a kid and my baseball games would be rained out for a couple weeks staright. Then when we got to play the humidity was terrible. Whenever you sweat, you get soaking wet and never dry out until you changed clothes. Here in Arizona my kids play outside year round no problem at all. Park in the morning, swimming pool in the afternoon, baseball games in the evening. Sunscreen, hat, water, no problem.

110 degrees? That's the high temperature for the day. 22 degrees? That's what it is for weeks.

Its not humid all the time, I seriously doubt you lived here judging from your response. This isnt Florida or Alabama. I cant even remember the last hot and sticky day we had. Actually, it was back in mid-August, that was the last time I ran the A/C. Nor does it rain for "a couple of weeks straight". You should know dang well that the thunderstorms here rarely last more than a few hours on average, similar to your monsoons. And you can dress for the cold, you cant for the heat. And with AZ having the highest skin cancer rate in the world, I wouldnt think it wise to be outdoor all day, even with sunscreen. 110 degrees? Yeah, you had well over a months worth this summer. Thats unforgiving. Why do people in AZ make excuses for the summer weather? Because you have mild winters? Your winters are hardly paradise, Miami, LA, San Diego, and Honolulu have warm winters.

[Bill-]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Out of the 4 months of summer temps, we maybe get 4 weeks of high humidity, maybe. Its now mid September and Ive only run the air for a total of 11 days because of stickiness. What are you on now? Your 5th straight month? lol Keep your summers and never changing environment, I know how boring that gets. And next April, when you sit inside staring at the soaring thermometer, dont get too depressed knowing that youve got another 5 months of repetetive sun and heat. Ever see the movie Groundhog's Day?

Why would I get depressed ?, summer means mountain biking in Flagstaff on the weekends, early morning hikes on South Mountain and evenings swimming in the pool.

[BillyBaroo]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Its not humid all the time, I seriously doubt you lived here judging from your response.

23 years in Illinois, 23 years in Arizona.

[steve22]

Why do people here seem to think there's only two choices in this world: the cold winters and humid summers back east or the brutally uncomfortable summers and mild winters in Phoenix? Believe me, there are so many other places west of the Rockies that have beautiful summers, milder, sunnier winters than back east, and overall great weather- and they're nicer cities, by far, than Phoenix (or Tucson). And no, I'm not talking about California. There are just so many other, IMO superior options out West to Phoenix in terms of both weather and overall quality of life. I love the southwest; but Phoenix would be about my last choice if I had to pick a location to live, even if weather was my first priority (which it isn't). Santa Fe, Reno, Flagstaff, Salt Lake, Denver/Boulder, CO Springs, Fort Collins, Boise, Eugene, Portland... the list goes on and on. All western cities, all affordable, and all vastly nicer cities with better overall weather more total months out of the year than Phoenix.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by BillyBaroo

23 years in Illinois, 23 years in Arizona.

Then why do you say its hot and humid and rains all the time? Thats not Chicago! Sure we get more rain than you, thats what keeps things beautiful and soft up here. But its NOT like Seattle (rain-wise) where it rains for weeks on end, not even remotely close.

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

Steve-o -

As you know however, not all of AZ is 110 in the summer. Warmest our land out near Benson has gotten in the last 3 1/2 years is 102.6 (once). Average June/July high over that time has been 92. I wouldn't want to live in Phoenix either (though I WOULD take it over the cold). Southeast Arizona though is just fine. Seven months of the year with highs 70 or above, January highs around 60. Pretty darned nice.

Ken

You know why this is? Benson is about 3500 feet in elevation. Here in Las Cruces, we are at 3900 feet. Phoenix is only 1300 feet above sea level. For that matter, Bisbee, down by the border, is even cooler, because, again, it's higher altitude. Yuma is the hottest because it is the lowest, I think it's only 500 feet above sea level there. Then of course, once you get to El Centro, it's even hotter, because it's below sea level. That's why Albuquerque is kind of thought of the best of all possible worlds, because it's 5000 feet, and it's relatively dry. Of course, they had I think about a foot of snow there last year, but it's not the norm.

[Bill-]

Originally Posted by steve22

Why do people here seem to think there's only two choices in this world: the cold winters and humid summers back east or the brutally uncomfortable summers and mild winters in Phoenix?

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say we are comparing Arizona and Chicago winters because we're in the Arizona forums and Steve-0 lives in Chicago.

[BillyBaroo]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Then why do you say its hot and humid and rains all the time? Thats not Chicago! Sure we get more rain than you, thats what keeps things beautiful and soft up here. But its NOT like Seattle (rain-wise) where it rains for weeks on end, not even remotely close.

No, it's not like Seattle, it's beautiful there in the summer!

Seriously though, all smack aside. The big difference between Illinois and Arizona is that your weather is more frontal driven and you do get a variety of conditions. But a dip or rise in the jet stream, or a high pressure system that won't budge and you can get the same weather for weeks. We don't get many changes in Arizona. We'll have hot, dry weather for the first part of summer (my favorite time of the year), and then a rainy season with higher humidity. The consistency of the weather here has never bored me though.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by mike0421

You know why this is? Benson is about 3500 feet in elevation. Here in Las Cruces, we are at 3900 feet. Phoenix is only 1300 feet above sea level. For that matter, Bisbee, down by the border, is even cooler, because, again, it's higher altitude. Yuma is the hottest because it is the lowest, I think it's only 500 feet above sea level there. Then of course, once you get to El Centro, it's even hotter, because it's below sea level. That's why Albuquerque is kind of thought of the best of all possible worlds, because it's 5000 feet, and it's relatively dry. Of course, they had I think about a foot of snow there last year, but it's not the norm.

Oh yeah, I know exactly why it is. In southern AZ the land generally slopes upwards as you move east (not consistantly, but generally). Our land is at 4,200 feet so it's about 3-4 degrees cooler than Benson (average temp drop is a bit over 3 degrees per thousand feet). We actually have a Wunderground.com online personal weather station about 1,500 feet from my land (at the same elevation) so I've been fortunate enough to have hourly weather readings in my exact neighborhood.

Ken

[Bungle]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Lets do the summer thing then:

110 degrees, hiding from the sun, drinking tons of water, sitting INSIDE a closed baseball stadium, noone on the streets (and not just because PHX is drab as can be, but because your summer weather is HELL)

Trying to convince someone that their weather is worse that yours is pointless. Some people actually prefer the climate of Phoenix over the climate of the Midwest. I am one of them and nothing anyone will ever say can convince me otherwise. I lived 18 years in the Chicagoland area and 12 years here in Phoenix. I prefer the weather here. I will gladly trade the hot for the cold. The dry for the humid. And you know what? That is MY preference.