How do you deal with this extreme desert heat?! (calculator, vs.)

[Hawaii4evr]

I don't know...I spent the summer in DC with 95F and humidity, monsoons everywhere. It was bad...but when we were going through Las Vegas to get to SoCal, and I stepped out in that dry 111F...pure misery!

[observer53]

Posts about weather in other cities are off topic for this thread.

[magnum0417]

OK. I am mentioning Tucson only because their monsoon action starts a week before us usually. There is NOTHING in the 10 day forecast that shows any chance of rain for either city. About all I have left to say at this point is to get acquainted with Canyon and Bartlett Lakes which are the most accessible for beauty and heat relief on paved roads. My issue with Saguaro is the beach is in a bowl valley and you cannot even see the high mountains unless you have a boat. Therefore, I recommend newcomers pay the $6 to get a day pass for Canyon Lake unless you want to be brave and drive on winding dirt roads to Apache Lake.

[urbex]

This is why I go to water that even stock Jeeps don't stand a chance of getting to (yes, both my Jeep and my Scout are modified WELL beyond stock).

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by urbex

Sure you don't want to add in a "think of the children!!!" to this to this far reaching over generalization?

I don't know what theory or school of thought you are basing your statement on. I'm trained in medicine not political correctness. My opinions are based on human physiology not hurt feelings. To imply that having less adipose does not impact metabolic and physiologic changes and thermoregulation is asinine. Nonetheless, my response did not apply to you. I was speaking in reference to those individuals who may be overweight or obese and don't tolerate the heat well. If you are obese and tolerate heat, good for you, you get a sticker. For those individuals who are overweight or obese and do not tolerate heat well, weight loss may help them tolerate the heat better. There are unique cases where obese individuals tolerate heat well due to being hypothyroid among other conditions. Weight loss not only reduces the adipose tissue (insulation), it also reduces your blood pressure which also impacts thermoregulation.

[actinic]

Originally Posted by Zathras

well therein lies a problem with using a non-specific term like 'heck of a lot'- it is subjective.

The bottom line is 110 is much more tolerable than zero. Or even 10. In fact if you said I could spend the next 8 hours outdoors in either 110 or 10 (assuming proper clothing/safety protection for both) I'd choose 110 in a heartbeat.

ymmv.

5 minutes active outdoors in that heat you're dripping wet and already facing dehydration without proper precautions. 5 minutes active outdoors in cold weather you're warmed up and just starting but hey, some amazingly do enjoy the epic persistent summer heat down there. It persists much longer than any midwest cold snap. Now that's the bottom line.

[actinic]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

I lived in MI my whole life, on both sides of the state, and absolutely hated MI weather. Glad you like it.

I guess mid 30's qualifies as a 'whole life' lol but thanks. Like you I really enjoyed the weather the first year in AZ but for many, that enjoyment starts to wane.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by actinic

I guess mid 30's qualifies as a 'whole life' lol but thanks. Like you I really enjoyed the weather the first year in AZ but for many, that enjoyment starts to wane.

Yes, that's been my whole life so far. If I were 9 years old, 9 years would be my whole life. I lived in MI for my first 30+ years and wouldn't move back for a 300% raise. The AZ heat is nothing compared to the dark, gray, depressing 6+ months of MI winters.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by actinic

5 minutes active outdoors in that heat you're dripping wet and already facing dehydration without proper precautions. 5 minutes active outdoors in cold weather you're warmed up and just starting but hey, some amazingly do enjoy the epic persistent summer heat down there. It persists much longer than any midwest cold snap. Now that's the bottom line.

That is not true. You can survive a lot longer in extreme heat than extreme cold. You can remove clothing and you will vasodilate to adapt. In extreme cold, you can experience frostbite in minutes and have limbs and digits amputated. I've personally treated homeless patients who were left out in the cold when it was freezing and we had to amputate their fingers and toes due to cold exposure. However, I've treated hundreds of patients who have been out in the desert 24-48 hours without water. You give them normal saline boluses and treat their sunburns. They respond very well and are out of the hospital in 2-3 days in most cases.

When it's 7 degrees outside in Flagstaff in the winter, you can't spend 5 minutes outside. The cold is unbearable even with clothing. The only thing you are thinking of is how fast you can get inside. It's just miserable. When it's 115 outside, it's extremely hot and annoying but you can stand in the shade and deal with it for 20-30 minutes. You'll sweat and it's annoying but it's not painful like standing out in the freezing cold.

Most importantly, heat is a nuisance, cold alters your lifestyle. With heat, you can still go out in the early morning and evenings. In the cold, the weather is worse in the mornings and evenings. Heat doesn't cause schools to shut down, airports to routinely shut down, flights to cancel, roads and highways to close, car to slip on the roads leading to multiple car accidents, power outages for an entire metropolitan area for days. I don't have to scrape sunshine off my windshield prior to leaving in the morning. I don't have to salt driveway or shovel sunshine off it. During a bad summer, most of us work indoors and avoid the worst temps of the day. During cold winters, you miss the warmest parts of the day and experience the worst parts of it in the morning and evening. Why do you think there is a massive migration to the sunbelt and warm cities while most cold weather cities are losing population. I don't see retirees choosing to retire in cold weather cities; how often do you see someone say "Oh I can't wait to move out of Miami, Phoenix, L.A. and San Diego and move to Detroit, Minneapolis, Philly, and Boston." You don't hear that too often. Gee I wonder why

[urbex]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I don't know what theory or school of thought you are basing your statement on. I'm trained in medicine not political correctness. My opinions are based on human physiology not hurt feelings. To imply that having less adipose does not impact metabolic and physiologic changes and thermoregulation is asinine. Nonetheless, my response did not apply to you. I was speaking in reference to those individuals who may be overweight or obese and don't tolerate the heat well. If you are obese and tolerate heat, good for you, you get a sticker. For those individuals who are overweight or obese and do not tolerate heat well, weight loss may help them tolerate the heat better. There are unique cases where obese individuals tolerate heat well due to being hypothyroid among other conditions. Weight loss not only reduces the adipose tissue (insulation), it also reduces your blood pressure which also impacts thermoregulation.

Your post insinuated that thsoe who don't tolerate heat are overweight, thus a generalization.