How can arizona be extremely hot during summer which is when they get monsoon storms? (Phoenix: house, live)

[shrek2001]

So we all think that arizona is a dry heat, but it must be humid during the monsoon storms during july and august. Now it was 107F one day in az. Then in like 10 minutes it dropped down to 88F when the monsoon storm kicked into the phoenix area. So therefore, I am kinda skeptical that arizona has extremely hot summers, but a lot of sources say so. Now I have heard the storms last on average like 5 to 10 minutes, but I know in some parts of az it average last 2 to 3 hours.

[Bungle]

Summers in Phoenix are very hot and in the earlier months (May, June, some of July) they are very dry. When the monsoon season begins our dew point creeps up and we get more moisture in the air. Rains are pretty unpredictable and don't always cover the whole valley. When it does rain the length of time also varies. You could get a couple minutes of downpour then sunny...or you could get rains for hours. There's no set time limit on mother nature. The majority of the storms that roll through here bring a lot of wind and put on a good thunder and lightning show but don't produce any precipitation. Yes, the temps do drop if a good rain hits but that temporary relief from the extreme heat is offset by the humidity that follows.

[ajonesaz]

Monsoon storms also hit in the late evening as well. It is very rare to have an a storm earlier in the day. So basically we bake during the day and get cool relief at night.

Plus, it's the desert. 20-30 degree temperature swings are the norm. That's what makes our summers bearable to me. We can still get out of the house early morning and night and enjoy the outdoors.

And the rain is what lasts 5-10 minutes... the wind lightening and dust can extend 2-4 hours.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by shrek2001

So we all think that arizona is a dry heat, but it must be humid during the monsoon storms during july and august. Now it was 107F one day in az. Then in like 10 minutes it dropped down to 88F when the monsoon storm kicked into the phoenix area. So therefore, I am kinda skeptical that arizona has extremely hot summers, but a lot of sources say so. Now I have heard the storms last on average like 5 to 10 minutes, but I know in some parts of az it average last 2 to 3 hours.

Yes, we have extremely hot summers. There's no question about that. If a monsoon storm comes in that drops a lot of rain (they don't, always) then yes, the temperature drops during and for some time after the storm. As the above post indicates, this happens in the late afternoon or evening, and sometimes during the night. The next day, it is hot, but less so, and much more humid. That temperature relief you describe doesn't happen every time there is a storm, and doesn't last that long when it does. And a good thunderstorm will last more than 5 or 10 minutes. If dust blows through first, that part only lasts a few minutes, and a localized rain can be short-lived, but it's not accurate to say the storm is gone in 5-10 minutes.

[AZJoeD]

Originally Posted by shrek2001

So we all think that arizona is a dry heat, but it must be humid during the monsoon storms during july and august. Now it was 107F one day in az. Then in like 10 minutes it dropped down to 88F when the monsoon storm kicked into the phoenix area. So therefore, I am kinda skeptical that arizona has extremely hot summers, but a lot of sources say so. Now I have heard the storms last on average like 5 to 10 minutes, but I know in some parts of az it average last 2 to 3 hours.

Take our word for it. Arizona is HOT & DRY in the summer. Some days we have humidity in the single digits.

Yes, we have monsoon storms, but they do not always bring rain. During the summer the weather comes up from the south and occasionally grabs moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and dumps it on us. The storms are often short lived, come later in the day and yes the humidity soars for a little while. When the humidity soars here it goes to 30%, not like the 90% humidity in the Pacific Northwest. But things dry out pretty fast in the summer, so we return to low humidity in an hour or so.

[shrek2001]

Even at 88F with extra humidity, I still don't think it would be all that hot.

[Bungle]

Originally Posted by shrek2001

Even at 88F with extra humidity, I still don't think it would be all that hot.

People have different tolerances to hot and cold weather. What you find comfortable others might find uncomfortable.

[shrek2001]

I have done my research and the temperature stays dropped (whenever there is a monsoon) for at least 2 hours.

[Bungle]

Originally Posted by shrek2001

I have done my research and the temperature stays dropped (whenever there is a monsoon) for at least 2 hours.

I don't see what your point is though? Yeah I'll agree with you. When a storm rolls through and dumps a ton of rain it drastically cools off. Feels good. The humidity rises which personally doesn't bother me but quite a few people complain about it. Quite a few people complain about a lot of things.

[Bummer]

Is it possible, Shrek, that much of your reference information originates with individual tolerance levels?

What is humid? Even during the Monsoons, in Arizona humid is anything above 30% while in Florida and most places "over there" it is anything above 75%.

Maybe that is why it is called "relative humidity" since most of us have become comfortable with the humidity in the teens or even "single digit" humidity and anything above that falls in the category of UGH.