Is there a temperature difference... (Tucson, Tanque Verde: renter, home, neighborhoods)

[joskel]

Is there a temperature difference between the area noted as the 'foothills' on the east and north of Tucson and being in the lower elevations?

I note that this area tends to be about 500 feet higher than the area between I-10 and Grant Rd/Alvernon Way. Does it make it cooler/warmer to be higher up? Or, are the breezes blocked by the mountains farther up and they never reach the foothills? OR, does it not make any real difference?

I have tried finding a weather monitor in specific areas of the metro area and have not located a site that will provide me with the information. Hence, I am asking for narrative information from folks who live in Tucson.

Why am I asking? I am trying to decide an area where I want to live in Tucson, both initially as a renter and later as a home owner.

TIA for your input.

Have a great day.
Joseph

[Chorizo]

If there is any difference, I personally have not noticed it.

In other words: 105 is the same as 108.

[azhiker]

Seems to me that there is something close to a 5 degree drop in temperature per 1,000 feet gained in altitude, so it's probably a good 2 degrees cooler in the foothills. I know that's true as you ascend Mt. Lemon.

[sierraAZ]

Yeah, there is a slight difference. In the winter these areas may get some snow while the rest of the city doesn't. I'm not sure where the cut-off line is to the North (probably at about Ina/Sunrise or whatever it happens to be called ), but to the East it seems to be Houghton Rd.

[M.A.]

I can't say that I've ever felt a difference.

A few things that might make it feel a little cooler, no matter where you are (town or foothills) would be:

1. Living next to a wash that has a lot of green growth. I notice that when I walk the dogs along the wash in my neighborhood it feels a lot cooler than if I walk them on the other side of the neighborhood.
2. Having a lot of trees in your neighborhood or yard. This is obviously cooler because of the shade the trees offer.
3. There tend to be areas of town that feel more breezy than others.
4. Make sure you have a pool to swim in!

[joskel]

2. Having a lot of trees in your neighborhood or yard. This is obviously cooler because of the shade the trees offer.

Pardon??????? In the several times we have visited in Tucson I do not recall ever finding such neighborhoods. I did not there seemed to be trees in the cemeteries. (Never did understand that concept. Seems one of the areas least needy of trees.)

Neighborhood suggestions with many trees?

Have a great day.
Joseph

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by M.A.

I can't say that I've ever felt a difference.

It's not significant, but there is a difference. You can tell pretty much only by the snow. This winter I got some snow and there was nothing West of Houghton.

[Chorizo]

I remember a couple years back, waking up to a thick blanket of snow covering the entirety of Tucson.

The streets were all messed up, no one knew what they were doing. Chaos ensued.

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by Chorizo

I remember a couple years back, waking up to a thick blanket of snow covering the entirety of Tucson.

The streets were all messed up, no one knew what they were doing. Chaos ensued.

Oh, yeah, that year the whole place got it (it was the winter of '06-'07; the snow must've fallen in '07). The only time I've witnessed snow stick overnight. I even saw a snowman at a street corner. Not like the AZ snowman in the souvenir stores – the ball of water with snowman parts floating around.

When I first moved here, I thought the postcards with cacti covered with snow were a joke or fakes, but nah…

[azhiker]

Originally Posted by joskel

...
Pardon??????? In the several times we have visited in Tucson I do not recall ever finding such neighborhoods. I did not there seemed to be trees in the cemeteries. (Never did understand that concept. Seems one of the areas least needy of trees.)

Neighborhood suggestions with many trees?
...

The Tanque Verde area seems to have its own little micro-climate. It's a lot greener there than the rest of Tucson.

I agree about it being cooler when you're walking in a wash too.