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It is not all that dry in July and August and half of September when it is the worst of the heat. Day after day of 112+ with dewpoints in the 60s and even 70s are common at that time of year. The relative humidity may be only 35% at those temps but it is so hot that it more than makes up for it. The "feels like" temps are over 105 every day for weeks on end. Think about that. It is miserable no matter where you are from. And it gets worse with every passing year.
Listen to this advice, he's absolutely right. A lot of people focus on relative humidity, but the dewpoint temperature is the one to focus on. And July through the first part of September the dewpoints are regularly in the 60's and 70's with temps in the upper 100's.
So me and my family are considering a move to Phoenix. We were thinking of visiting in July to see how we hold up in the heat. I have lived in three places in my life. Washington D.C, Atlanta GA and York PA. Needless to say I'm very use to humid heat however dry heat is very foreign to me. I remember being in Sacramento right before Memorial Day and it was about 90 with 25% humidity. Didn't feel too bad however that is the most experience I have had dealing with dry heat. I was surprised when looking at the weather forecast. It's already well in the 90's in Phoenix for 10 straight days and it's just barely April. Is this normal? How hot does 95 with 15% humidity feel compared to 80 with 60% humidity??? I am a tad concerned about my wife. She sometimes has trouble with blazing sun. Lack of shade could be an issue. Any advice from someone who has relocated from a humid state to here would be helpful.
Your tolerance for heat will rise with lower humidity. Many of my friends back east ask me how I make it through Phoenix heat because 100 degrees in New York or DC is incredibly oppressive, while 100 degrees here is significantly less uncomfortable.
Phoenix has a monsoon season from July-September, which can push our humidity up significantly. I've seen dewpoints here in the mid to upper 70s, which is on par with a summer day in Florida or Louisiana. The flip side is that when it's humid, it tends not to be as hot. Still, the combination of heat and humidity can be just as uncomfortable here as anywhere, if only for a day or two. Once the humidity breaks, temperatures spike back up, but it feels a lot less oppressive.
So me and my family are considering a move to Phoenix. We were thinking of visiting in July to see how we hold up in the heat. I have lived in three places in my life. Washington D.C, Atlanta GA and York PA. Needless to say I'm very use to humid heat however dry heat is very foreign to me. I remember being in Sacramento right before Memorial Day and it was about 90 with 25% humidity. Didn't feel too bad however that is the most experience I have had dealing with dry heat. I was surprised when looking at the weather forecast. It's already well in the 90's in Phoenix for 10 straight days and it's just barely April. Is this normal? How hot does 95 with 15% humidity feel compared to 80 with 60% humidity??? I am a tad concerned about my wife. She sometimes has trouble with blazing sun. Lack of shade could be an issue. Any advice from someone who has relocated from a humid state to here would be helpful.
Hotter when you are standing in the sun but more comfortable in the shade. If it's below 100, a fan will usually do the trick to keep you cool.
It seems like we can’t go a single month without one of these posts. Do people not know how to use the search function? I guarantee this has been asked a bunch of times from even before the Internet existed.
“But it’s a dry heat” Yes, and so is an oven. It’s hot. We shouldn’t have to repeat this constantly in this forum. We have a “no politics” rule but I’d like to get rid of the “dry heat vs. humid heat” threads too. Read the huge plethora if you want to know about Phoenix weather specifically that have been posted here, one of the many in the General US forums, or even better, go to the weather forum! That’s the whole point of the weather forum.
Deserts are oppressive, so are jungles. One is not better than the other. Debating a steam or a grill preparation for food is still asking to be cooked. It’s a matter of preference which *no one* on this forum can answer for you.
Your tolerance for heat will rise with lower humidity. Many of my friends back east ask me how I make it through Phoenix heat because 100 degrees in New York or DC is incredibly oppressive, while 100 degrees here is significantly less uncomfortable.
Phoenix has a monsoon season from July-September, which can push our humidity up significantly. I've seen dewpoints here in the mid to upper 70s, which is on par with a summer day in Florida or Louisiana. The flip side is that when it's humid, it tends not to be as hot. Still, the combination of heat and humidity can be just as uncomfortable here as anywhere, if only for a day or two. Once the humidity breaks, temperatures spike back up, but it feels a lot less oppressive.
Tolerance is highly dependent on the person. I find July & August to be the worst months here in Phoenix, regardless if it's humid or dry. Either way, it's going to be very hot compared to many other parts of the country. When the dew points are high, the temperatures may be lower, but it's still well into the 100s most of the time. When the dry air sets in, it's very common to have temps over 110. Dry air might feel better overall, but when you're out in the direct sun, it's very oppressive.
Moved here about 2 years ago from Iowa. Yes it gets hot and it has been especially hot early this year in late March early April. You become very tolerant of the heat and the low humidity is welcome! The current hot spell was a bit disconcerting -- more because it came on so fast, if I had a few weeks of building temps to get used to the high heat it would have been easy to handle but going from high's in the upper 60s to 90s in less than a week was hard. But it would be anywhere!
I haven't had the furnace on or air conditioner since January . . . that's awesome and I doubt I will for at least another month.
So me and my family are considering a move to Phoenix. We were thinking of visiting in July to see how we hold up in the heat. I have lived in three places in my life. Washington D.C, Atlanta GA and York PA. Needless to say I'm very use to humid heat however dry heat is very foreign to me. I remember being in Sacramento right before Memorial Day and it was about 90 with 25% humidity. Didn't feel too bad however that is the most experience I have had dealing with dry heat. I was surprised when looking at the weather forecast. It's already well in the 90's in Phoenix for 10 straight days and it's just barely April. Is this normal? How hot does 95 with 15% humidity feel compared to 80 with 60% humidity??? I am a tad concerned about my wife. She sometimes has trouble with blazing sun. Lack of shade could be an issue. Any advice from someone who has relocated from a humid state to here would be helpful.
I am a biomedical engineer from Arizona. I grew up in the desert and played sports in the heat. Two-a-day football practice in the scorching late summer period was absurd. Heat strokes are a real concern in the desert of AZ.
I also lived in FL for over 14 years - mostly in Tallahassee. But I also lived in Fort Lauderdale. I know the humid heat very well. The worst humidity in FL usually occurs right after a tropical storm or hurricane when the clouds open up and scorching heat returns. Humid heat is dangerous too and not to be underestimated. I am an experienced mountain runner who has done the "14ers" in Colorado many times. But despite that experience I am well aware the humidity along the Appalachian Trail of North Georgia into the Carolinas is not to be underestimated. But the converse of that is true too in regards to the dry heat of AZ.
For active outdoor sports enthusiasts, the switch from humidity at 99% and 95 F in Tallahassee to 115 F in Phoenix with a hike up Piestewa Peak is not "EASIER". When people act like the "dry heat is easy to deal with" it just tells me they don't hike up Piestewa Peak in summer nor do any aggressive physical outdoor activity when it is truly that hot.
From the view of physiological sciences, the body becomes a thermal heat sink with high risk of respiratory acidosis and heat stroke. The hypothalamus gets overwhelmed, and when the body stops sweating heat stroke can occur. Hence, every year there are overconfident hikers who go up Piestewa Peak in the summer from out-of-state who underestimate the "dry heat" and wind up on a medevac.
One of the most dangerous "traps" for inexperienced hikers is a descent into a deep desert canyon from high altitude. The top may be relatively cool but as you go down the thermal heat waves bounce off the cliff walls and concentrate at the bottom like a magnifying glass. Hiking beneath those canyon walls can quickly overwhelm homeostasis and lead to heat stroke despite the "dry heat". It happens in the Grand Canyon a lot for inexperienced tourists.
In summary, don't underestimate the dry heat. I am not downplaying humid heat. Both are brutal in their own environmental context during extreme physical exertion. https://www.12news.com/article/news/...f-1c52aabf56cd
I am a biomedical engineer from Arizona. I grew up in the desert and played sports in the heat. Two-a-day football practice in the scorching late summer period was absurd. Heat strokes are a real concern in the desert of AZ.
I also lived in FL for over 14 years - mostly in Tallahassee. But I also lived in Fort Lauderdale. I know the humid heat very well. The worst humidity in FL usually occurs right after a tropical storm or hurricane when the clouds open up and scorching heat returns. Humid heat is dangerous too and not to be underestimated. I am an experienced mountain runner who has done the "14ers" in Colorado many times. But despite that experience I am well aware the humidity along the Appalachian Trail of North Georgia into the Carolinas is not to be underestimated. But the converse of that is true too in regards to the dry heat of AZ.
For active outdoor sports enthusiasts, the switch from humidity at 99% and 95 F in Tallahassee to 115 F in Phoenix with a hike up Piestewa Peak is not "EASIER". When people act like the "dry heat is easy to deal with" it just tells me they don't hike up Piestewa Peak in summer nor do any aggressive physical outdoor activity when it is truly that hot.
From the view of physiological sciences, the body becomes a thermal heat sink with high risk of respiratory acidosis and heat stroke. The hypothalamus gets overwhelmed, and when the body stops sweating heat stroke can occur. Hence, every year there are overconfident hikers who go up Piestewa Peak in the summer from out-of-state who underestimate the "dry heat" and wind up on a medevac.
One of the most dangerous "traps" for inexperienced hikers is a descent into a deep desert canyon from high altitude. The top may be relatively cool but as you go down the thermal heat waves bounce off the cliff walls and concentrate at the bottom like a magnifying glass. Hiking beneath those canyon walls can quickly overwhelm homeostasis and lead to heat stroke despite the "dry heat". It happens in the Grand Canyon a lot for inexperienced tourists.
In summary, don't underestimate the dry heat. I am not downplaying humid heat. Both are brutal in their own environmental context during extreme physical exertion. https://www.12news.com/article/news/...f-1c52aabf56cd
Great science-based post ^^.
To the Op. "Dry heat" or 100F+ while you are in the sun is F'en hot! On Sunday, April 5th, it was a record high of 98 degrees. We finished brunch outside in the sun at our restaurant around 1pm and it was already 95 degrees. But it wasn't remotely hot because the restaurant misters were on above us. At 2PM, we went to our community pool. Getting into the car and driving to the community pool felt hot as the sun beat on you. It was even Hotter in the parking lot and it quickly dropped noticeably as we got close to the golf course (large grass areas have a noticeable drop in temp). Then we were on the pool which has a massive amount of pavers so the temp went up some even though it is on the course. So we take a dip in the pool and jump back out. Yep, evaporation == not so bad.
At around 6PM See https://www.localconditions.com/weat...85001/past.php ) it was 95 and we were under our backyard patio in the shade and we ate outside. It felt amazing! As in an ahh moment and at 95 degrees! But remember, we had no direct sun or exercise. At 7 pm and 93 degrees, the sun set so we walked the dog for 3 miles. It felt absolutely AMAZING. no-way-no-how did 25% humidity and 95 degrees bother us on a fast past 3-mile walk: It was childs-play for this 56-year-old. It felt like an 80-degree typical MN evening.
Now if you want to make the same temp feel worse, then compare 100 degrees while the wind blows on you. Now you know how convection ovens work (go in and out of the wind)! With high humidity at 87 degrees, a strong breeze helps evaporation. With dry heat and 100 degrees, a strong breeze hurts. And we have not covered the importance of not wearing dark clothes.
In summary, to those dry heat doesn't matter folks who often say: "110 degrees is 110 degrees". Not so fast! 110 degrees in the sun is MUCH worse in the shade. Even worse in the sub with dark clothes. And it feels even worse with a strong breeze. If you have to work in the sun all day, that's a whole lot different if you are able to use misters, stay in the shade, take dips around a pool, reschedule your day around tasks, etc. You know, what the search function would have taught you if you gave it a try. So if you are forced to be in the sun all day, hot and humid sucks and so does even hotter and dryer air if you are in the sun all day. For ME, I can dodge the sun without being in air-conditioning. I cannot dodge thick humidity in the shade. So for me and my situation, that's how I roll it up.
Therefore by definition, "Hot is hot" types ^^ are absolutely wrong. There are a lot of variables that matter. And therefore, grad-school point is valid. Exercising in the sun (even with "dry heat") needs a deep level of respect.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prickly Pear
It seems like we can’t go a single month without one of these posts. Do people not know how to use the search function? I guarantee this has been asked a bunch of times from even before the Internet existed.
Maybe we need a "dry heat" sticky post.
Last edited by MN-Born-n-Raised; 04-05-2021 at 07:19 AM..
So me and my family are considering a move to Phoenix. We were thinking of visiting in July to see how we hold up in the heat. I have lived in three places in my life. Washington D.C, Atlanta GA and York PA. Needless to say I'm very use to humid heat however dry heat is very foreign to me. I remember being in Sacramento right before Memorial Day and it was about 90 with 25% humidity. Didn't feel too bad however that is the most experience I have had dealing with dry heat. I was surprised when looking at the weather forecast. It's already well in the 90's in Phoenix for 10 straight days and it's just barely April. Is this normal? How hot does 95 with 15% humidity feel compared to 80 with 60% humidity??? I am a tad concerned about my wife. She sometimes has trouble with blazing sun. Lack of shade could be an issue. Any advice from someone who has relocated from a humid state to here would be helpful.
No, it's not normal, but it does happen. A normal high in Phoenix in early April is the low 80s. But does it happen? Yeah, this isn't the first warm Easter in fact it tied the record high but didn't break it. Also, an early warm stretch isn't correlated to what the summer will be.
In general, in the Western US, things are becoming warmer and drier with climate change. You should know that coming in.
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So if you are forced to be in the sun all day, hot and humid sucks and so does even hotter and dryer air if you are in the sun all day. For ME, I can dodge the sun without being in air-conditioning. I cannot dodge thick humidity in the shade. So for me and my situation, that's how I roll it up. 
