2nd Summer in Phoenix-- How do YOU best deal with the heat? (living in, moving to)

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Quizillla

I've never been to Florida, but I've been to Texas (humid as well). I think BOTH heats are VERY uncomfortable to deal with, but luckily we live in a society that makes it easy to deal with. Water parks, indoor malls... etc. The nice thing about Phoenix is easy access to cooler climates (Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott, etc).

People do seem a LOT crankier in the summer though! :P I don't blame them

Try the multiquote feature to respond to multiple posts in a single post.

[PoppySead]

Evening classes and a spray bottle.

[Bert_from_back_East]

Originally Posted by Quizillla

I've never been to Florida, but I've been to Texas (humid as well). I think BOTH heats are VERY uncomfortable to deal with, but luckily we live in a society that makes it easy to deal with. Water parks, indoor malls... etc. The nice thing about Phoenix is easy access to cooler climates (Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott, etc).

People do seem a LOT crankier in the summer though! :P I don't blame them

I've never been to Houston, so I can't speak to the summer weather there, but I will have you know that, despite being rainier and more humid, summers in Florida are a lot easier to deal with than summers in Phoenix, hands down.

In all of Florida, there are frequent "breaks," if you will, from the heat and humidity in the form of cloud cover, daily afternoon thunderstorms, days of rain due to passing "systems," large and more abundant shade trades, trade winds and sea breezes, more options for water recreation, etc.

Also, summer is shorter in Florida, too - maybe three months, tops, of intense heat and humidity. Of course, "intense" is relative, but temps over 93 degrees, even in the height of summer, are rare in most of the Florida metro areas.

In Phoenix, there are few, if any, similar "breaks" from the intense, oven-like heat that plagues the Valley from early May to early October.

The summertime sun in Phoenix is incredibly intense and relentless, especially from mid-May to early July, and I'm saying this as a somewhat swarthy person of primarily southern Italian heritage (i.e., darker than most white people in Phoenix).

The sun in Phoenix creates inferno-like conditions, where anything and everything left outside in direct sunlight during the summertime will burn, crack, melt, etc. FWIW, you don't burn your hands on car doors or steering wheels in Florida, and there's a lot less in the way of covered parking there.

Then, once monsoon season begins around early-to-mid July, heat indices are off-the-charts for the rest of the summer due to the combination of extremely high temperatures and relative humidity levels. So much for a dry heat!

After moving to Arizona, I quickly learned that's one thing natives and long-time residents don't really let on - just how long monsoon season and the accompanying high humidity, at least for a desert area, can last (usually about 2-2.5 months). I don't know about you, but early July to mid-September is *MOST* of the summer to me.

[amazinmets73]

Thanks for the detailed reply, although unfortunately it confirmed my fears. I'm a cyclist and am not looking forward to the 10 mile round trip during the summer months. Although one saving grace may be that I'll be living and working in Scottsdale which according to climate data has cooler nights than Phoenix (I'm assuming due to there being less concrete to trap during the day in the suburban city), and I lead a mostly nocturnal lifestyle.

[kell490]

I can take summer until July 4th then it's humid and lot of the days it's very high humidity. Most of the heat lovers are transplants from the rust belt states like Michigan. I want to move somewhere that it never gets hotter then 80.

[locolobo13]

Originally Posted by amazinmets73

Thanks for the detailed reply, although unfortunately it confirmed my fears. I'm a cyclist and am not looking forward to the 10 mile round trip during the summer months. Although one saving grace may be that I'll be living and working in Scottsdale which according to climate data has cooler nights than Phoenix (I'm assuming due to there being less concrete to trap during the day in the suburban city), and I lead a mostly nocturnal lifestyle.

I bicycle commute about 10mi RT most days myself. I won't kid you summers are hot. But you can acclimate. You will be sweat soaked when you get to work. So be prepared, spare clothes, towel, etc.


But think about it. We're talking about 5mi each way. Say 20-25min. Stay hydrated thru the day. You'll be fine.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by amazinmets73

Thanks for the detailed reply, although unfortunately it confirmed my fears. I'm a cyclist and am not looking forward to the 10 mile round trip during the summer months. Although one saving grace may be that I'll be living and working in Scottsdale which according to climate data has cooler nights than Phoenix (I'm assuming due to there being less concrete to trap during the day in the suburban city), and I lead a mostly nocturnal lifestyle.

I used to bike commute, when I lived just a few miles from work.

In the mornings I would take it easy on the way in, to not be dripping with sweat. I could get by just wiping down with a washcloth and changing clothes. After the ride home at night a shower is definitely in order. If there's a handy bus route you can use that to break up part of the ride on the hottest days.

[amazinmets73]

Originally Posted by hikernut

I used to bike commute, when I lived just a few miles from work.

In the mornings I would take it easy on the way in, to not be dripping with sweat. I could get by just wiping down with a washcloth and changing clothes. After the ride home at night a shower is definitely in order. If there's a handy bus route you can use that to break up part of the ride on the hottest days.

How rough are night rides?

[Quizillla]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

What kind of skyline does Scottsdale have?

It's mostly overpriced shops, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants where the plastic millionaires roam but not much of a workplace center.

It has more nightlife activity compared to central Phoenix though.

Sorry if that was confusing. I wasn't implying Scottsdale had a sky-line...

I was just basically saying that Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the world, and for such a large city-- it doesn't really have a "downtown" just a few big buildings. Phoenix in general doesn't really have a "central", walkable Downtown where people gather, unlike Portland, Seattle, Denver, etc.

[Quizillla]

Originally Posted by poppysead

evening classes and a spray bottle.

yup!