Question about a test visit this summer.... (Phoenix, Scottsdale: 2013, movies)

[hopsonkl]

We are from the Midwest. A monsoon is basically what we in the Midwest would call a mid-level thunderstorm. The biggest difference between a monsoon and a Midwest thunderstorm is the monsoon storms are more spotty (also no tornadoes!) and don't have the definitive movement - west to east - like they usually do in the Midwest. Sometimes the rain is torrential - mainly because the ground here is so dry so the run off causes flooding. Also, rain doesn't run off roads as quickly as you are accustomed to. Lots of "puddling". Monsoons are really quite beautiful. The sky out here is "big" due to lack of tall trees so you can see isolated storms at a distance. At night, the lightening is incredible! I wouldn't plan a trip to avoid monsoons.

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Sorry, while the monsoon does create more humidity here it is NOTHING like the humidity I experienced in Florida, North Carolina or Texas. Period. Yes, it gets somewhat sticky here but it pales in comparison. To the OP; July is our hottest month if you really want to experience the heat.

Thx! I know that. Just playing along with BIGCATS where he makes it sound like it's the second coming of Kuala Lumpur. Doesn't phase me. I know how humid it gets in the summer in the Upper Midwest. I live here. And I've been all over SE Asia for long periods of time where it actually is " very" humid.

[kytoaz]

I check weather daily and I seldom have seen dewpoints above 70. I know it happens. but it hasn't seemed too common to me.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

As a 36 year resident of the Upper Midwest (western Chicagoland), I can vouch for the fact that many mornings its equally as humid here in PHX as anywhere in the Midwest. There is obvious weather records to show for it, too. 90s and humid in the Midwest is a heat streak. 90s and humid in PHX is what we call the "cool morning hours".


No, seriously, you'll walk outside in the morning at 6AM and its already 90 degrees with 70% humidity and a 70-degree dewpoint. That's a hot, sticky Chicago afternoon. The only difference is that Chicago only gets those days here and there, with nice, cool, dry cold spells in between. Here we don't get that luxury. You can bank on upper 90s to scorching 116 degrees for several consecutive months. And its super hazy here, too. I don't know why people think it doesn't get hazy here, it absolutely does.

It's really easy to talk in terms of what one has experienced a time or to but that's why handy dandy statisticians put together data so we can get a more factual representation of things like average dew points. And as you can see we rarely have 70 degree dew points, it's certainly not normal and there's no months that average anywhere near that. Not to say that it can't happen but it's short lived if/when it does.

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/natio...emental/page-6
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/westcomp.dp.html

And as you might expect, our summer heat index is the highest in the nation, but it's relatively close within 6 degrees of other southern cities in FL, TX, and LA.

Sizzling Cities ranked – our new Heat Index – Bert Sperling – searching for the Best Places

116 days are pretty rare, even here, last year we had something like 15 total days above 110. Much like a 10 degree day in the North, nobody is excited about it, but it doesn't happen a lot.

One key difference about Arizona versus these other places is that we have rapid elevation changes in the state, while the average temp is 100+ in Phoenix a mere 90-120 minutes away it's almost always below 90. I know people living out East who would kill for that kind of weather variation so close.

Payson Arizona Weather | Average Temperatures By Month
https://www.currentresults.com/Weath...th-average.php

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Burkmere

Thx! I know that. Just playing along with BIGCATS where he makes it sound like it's the second coming of Kuala Lumpur. Doesn't phase me. I know how humid it gets in the summer in the Upper Midwest. I live here. And I've been all over SE Asia for long periods of time where it actually is " very" humid.

You'd think we were experiencing something like this based on some of the comments you see here.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c4d0cb3680ca

To achieve today’s astronomical heat index level of 165, Bandar Mahshahr’s actual air temperature registered 115 degrees (46 Celsius) with an astonishing dew point temperature of 90 (32 Celsius).

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by locolife

You'd think we were experiencing something like this based on some of the comments you see here.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.c4d0cb3680ca

To achieve today’s astronomical heat index level of 165, Bandar Mahshahr’s actual air temperature registered 115 degrees (46 Celsius) with an astonishing dew point temperature of 90 (32 Celsius).

Now "that" is hot! I doubt the bug situation and trash smell at the Barcelona condos near Shea and Scottsdale Rd. is as bad as he makes it sound either. However, I don't doubt that there's some noise as it is a converted apartment to condo complex. So if one bought, one would have to be careful of that.

I do appreciate BIGCATS info, just not seeing that the humidity is a huge thing. But it does get hot in Phoenix for four months particularly. I'll grant him that!

[azdr0710]

lots of good comments here, but want to try to be brief and to-the-point about summer here:

late May and June are our driest and hottest months....very bright, sun comes up early with no DST observed here (5:17am on June 21), warms up quickly in the AM, very dry, heat can bother some, most outdoor workers quit by 1pm, heat can feel good after coming out of a too-cold theater or store

July and August are our much-anticipated rainy months (incorrectly called "monsoon" by some!!), humidity becomes oppressive to locals used to the 4% humidity of June, nighttime lows are rarely below 85 in Phx due to the humidity, uncomfortable to most day and night, we look forward to cooling storms and breeze but it often misses us, mountains receive most of the rain, AC runs seemingly all the time

these two periods are very different and both should be experienced to understand summer here

September is a return to hot and dry conditions

[Burkmere]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

lots of good comments here, but want to try to be brief and to-the-point about summer here:

late May and June are our driest and hottest months....very bright, sun comes up early with no DST observed here (5:17am on June 21), warms up quickly in the AM, very dry, heat can bother some, most outdoor workers quit by 1pm, heat can feel good after coming out of a too-cold theater or store

July and August are our much-anticipated rainy months (incorrectly called "monsoon" by some!!), humidity becomes oppressive to locals used to the 4% humidity of June, nighttime lows are rarely below 85 in Phx due to the humidity, uncomfortable to most day and night, we look forward to cooling storms and breeze but it often misses us, mountains receive most of the rain, AC runs seemingly all the time

these two periods are very different and both should be experienced to understand summer here

September is a return to hot and dry conditions

Avg high in Phoenix hits 100 June 1 and doesn't fall below that until September 17. I guess add a couple of weeks either side for still pretty hot weather and you've got mid May through September it's hot with the rain and more humidity occurring some in July and August more or less. There you go.

[Renegade007]

The only time I've ever seen dewpoints in the 70's in Phoenix, is in August after a strong monsoon storm.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Burkmere

Now "that" is hot! I doubt the bug situation and trash smell at the Barcelona condos near Shea and Scottsdale Rd. is as bad as he makes it sound either. However, I don't doubt that there's some noise as it is a converted apartment to condo complex. So if one bought, one would have to be careful of that.

I do appreciate BIGCATS info, just not seeing that the humidity is a huge thing. But it does get hot in Phoenix for four months particularly. I'll grant him that!

Yep, it does get hot in the summer here, as it does in most places in North America, I guess somehow a lot of people move here without realizing that.

Cats does have good info, my main point is that our weather is pretty easy to work around for those who like the outdoors, which I happen to. You simply adjust your hiking/outdoor schedule timing in the hot months and other then that our weather is super predictable, with sunny weather and a million places to go explore. I find this much easier then when I lived in the finicky Northeast and constantly dealt with sub zero windchills in the winter, humid summer days, black fly and other bug seasons, rained out weekends, Noreasters etc...