It IS a dry heat!!! (Phoenix, Tucson: university, live in, move) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

elfyum · 06-24-2006, 01:39 AM

Just browsing through this forum after walking outside in Miami humidity & had to throw in my two cents on the subject... Having lived in Tucson, Miami, NY (THEE

), & Colorado Springs, as well as having experienced St Louis however briefly, (and numerous other cities not relevant...) humidity DOES make a HUGE difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now preference & tolerence OF COURSE factor in...I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE it HOTTTTTTT!!!!!!! I have very fond memories of Tucson's daily 112 degrees-out speed walking 7 miles in the noon sun!!!!!!!

Did almost turn back from briefy seeing a mirage! (yes I'm serious!) but was fine. You DO NOT sweat!!!!!!!! I would return from said walk with a LIIIITTLE teeny tiny patch of sweat on the back of my shirt!
In Miami, it will be in the 80's -temp AND humidity - and LITERALLY walking to or from your car (I don't even mean a block!!!!!!!) you are DRENCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am NOT exaggerating in the least!!!!!!!!!!! As for cold - which to me is under 80

, the dry climate does make for less "bone chill". Although it also makes 70's feel very cool where as in humidity if feels warm. So there you have it! Oh- and I don't know if this is true because I was only there for a night because of a missed flight, but the humidity in St Louis is UN FREAKING REAL!!!!!!!!!! I REALLY think it's WORSE - if that's POSSIBLE!!!!!!! than FL!!!!!
I assume because you don't have an ocean breeze to help and the ole Mississippi aint no small body of water! Might as well be the ocean, but without the breeze! My eyes LITERALLY were BUGGED OUT! I will NEVER forget that feeling as long as I live! (or after! )

So, uh, yes...it IS a dry heat...

a1m1700 · 06-24-2006, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elfyum

Just browsing through this forum after walking outside in Miami humidity & had to throw in my two cents on the subject... Having lived in Tucson, Miami, NY (THEE

), & Colorado Springs, as well as having experienced St Louis however briefly, (and numerous other cities not relevant...) humidity DOES make a HUGE difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now preference & tolerence OF COURSE factor in...I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE it HOTTTTTTT!!!!!!! I have very fond memories of Tucson's daily 112 degrees-out speed walking 7 miles in the noon sun!!!!!!!

Did almost turn back from briefy seeing a mirage! (yes I'm serious!) but was fine. You DO NOT sweat!!!!!!!! I would return from said walk with a LIIIITTLE teeny tiny patch of sweat on the back of my shirt!
In Miami, it will be in the 80's -temp AND humidity - and LITERALLY walking to or from your car (I don't even mean a block!!!!!!!) you are DRENCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am NOT exaggerating in the least!!!!!!!!!!! As for cold - which to me is under 80

, the dry climate does make for less "bone chill". Although it also makes 70's feel very cool where as in humidity if feels warm. So there you have it! Oh- and I don't know if this is true because I was only there for a night because of a missed flight, but the humidity in St Louis is UN FREAKING REAL!!!!!!!!!! I REALLY think it's WORSE - if that's POSSIBLE!!!!!!! than FL!!!!!
I assume because you don't have an ocean breeze to help and the ole Mississippi aint no small body of water! Might as well be the ocean, but without the breeze! My eyes LITERALLY were BUGGED OUT! I will NEVER forget that feeling as long as I live! (or after! )

So, uh, yes...it IS a dry heat...

It's a dry heat but it's still hot. I kind of liked the humidity in Florida. It's hot either way dry or humid still uncomfortable.

steve22 · 06-24-2006, 09:57 AM

If anything less than 80 degrees feels cold to you, you ought to get your thyroid checked. Or maybe you're a reptile.

112=HOT. I don't care if it's humid or dry. I live in Phoenix, and also lived in St. Louis briefly. Yes, it does get uncomfortably hot in St. Louis, but the difference is that St. Louis may get a few days in a row of very hot weather, then it rains & cools down, and it's nice again for awhile. In PHX, the heat is absolutely UNRELENTING for 6 months- no rain, no relief, not even at night. If St. Louis or Miami feel like a sauna in the summer, then PHX feels like a blast furnace. Constantly. Different maybe, but not any better, and never any variation or precipitation to cool it down.

I sweat plenty here in PHX, at least as much as I did in St. Louis. I walk from the parking garage to work every day, and my shirt is literally soaked through by the time I get there. I need a shower after walking 50 yards in the summer. Did you not read that Phoenix last year won the award as America's sweatiest city? Has to be a reason for that, I would think. Maybe b/c it's hotter here than anywhere else on EARTH?? Other than maybe the Sahara? Also, Phoenix leads the country in rate of kidney stone formation- the most common cause of that being dehydration.

Not that people do much walking here in the summer or any other time for that matter, since you can't get anywhere by walking. It's the most spread-out, pedestrian-unfriendly city I've ever experienced. St. Louis beats it by miles in that regard.

Oh, and during the monsoon season, it does get humid here, and for that month and a half it becomes completely unbearable to be outside for even a minute or two.

elfyum · 06-25-2006, 01:23 AM

Thyroid is fine,but I definately can relate to reptiles!!!

I understand that most humans find heat quite uncomfortable, but not I! I LOOOOOOOOVE that HOT midnight still-about-100-degrees furnace wind!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! So relaxing! Believe me-people here in Miami think I'm nuts-I have a heater-yes, a heater! at work throughout the summer. I blast it & sit in front with that hot dry air blowing on me! Seems the few I've encountered that like it the same are from Jamaica or other Carribean Islands. But I certainly did not sweat (barely) when I lived out there in Tucson! No lie! I actually DID hear that Phoenix won the sweatiest place award & was VERY surprised! Yeah-the monsoon season was quite unbearable! Blech!

But nothing beats that "furnace"/oven air!!!!!

"So why did you move?" you ask...The winter!!!!!!!! I mean, it gets into the 40's here once in a while but Tucson gets into the teens!!!!!! ACK!!!!! (and can you believe I'm from NY & lived in CO for 6 years?!) I actually witnessed snow!!!!!!! Couldn't believe it!!! Of course it didn't stick...This was back between '90 & '93 when I lived there by the way...

pioneer8 · 06-25-2006, 06:07 AM

As my Mother always said, "It's a good thing we don't all like the same things or we'd all want the same thing!" Boy, that would make one state WAY too populated huh? By the way, Ive lived in FL and Texas... I think dry heat is more tolerable, I miss rain, I wish I lived in SNOW! Can someone point me in the right direction???

Grass Is Greener · 06-25-2006, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pioneer8

I wish I lived in SNOW! Can someone point me in the right direction???

Anywhere in New England

pioneer8 · 06-25-2006, 02:57 PM

How I wish! Affording that would be difficult... Thanks though!

Miker2069 · 06-25-2006, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elfyum

Just browsing through this forum after walking outside in Miami humidity & had to throw in my two cents on the subject... Having lived in Tucson, Miami, NY (THEE

), & Colorado Springs, as well as having experienced St Louis however briefly, (and numerous other cities not relevant...) humidity DOES make a HUGE difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now preference & tolerence OF COURSE factor in...I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE it HOTTTTTTT!!!!!!! I have very fond memories of Tucson's daily 112 degrees-out speed walking 7 miles in the noon sun!!!!!!!

Did almost turn back from briefy seeing a mirage! (yes I'm serious!) but was fine. You DO NOT sweat!!!!!!!! I would return from said walk with a LIIIITTLE teeny tiny patch of sweat on the back of my shirt!
In Miami, it will be in the 80's -temp AND humidity - and LITERALLY walking to or from your car (I don't even mean a block!!!!!!!) you are DRENCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am NOT exaggerating in the least!!!!!!!!!!! As for cold - which to me is under 80

, the dry climate does make for less "bone chill". Although it also makes 70's feel very cool where as in humidity if feels warm. So there you have it! Oh- and I don't know if this is true because I was only there for a night because of a missed flight, but the humidity in St Louis is UN FREAKING REAL!!!!!!!!!! I REALLY think it's WORSE - if that's POSSIBLE!!!!!!! than FL!!!!!
I assume because you don't have an ocean breeze to help and the ole Mississippi aint no small body of water! Might as well be the ocean, but without the breeze! My eyes LITERALLY were BUGGED OUT! I will NEVER forget that feeling as long as I live! (or after! )

So, uh, yes...it IS a dry heat...

I've not been to Phx, but grew up in Miami. I thought we had the lock on heat, but during my college years helped move a friend who was going to Auburn University (Auburn Alabama)...Auburn in August- all I can say is you were begging for someone to put you out of your misery

Quote:

Originally Posted by pioneer8

How I wish! Affording that would be difficult... Thanks though!

well you might find some decent deals in Maine...

elfyum · 06-26-2006, 03:09 AM

Dry & snow...Colorado comes to mind first. But any western mountain state should fit the bill...

steve22 · 06-27-2006, 10:20 AM

Colorado, Utah, and northern California have the most perfect climates in the lower 48, in my opinion. Lots of sunshine, very low humidity, and 4 distinct seasons- with much milder winters than, say, the midwest or northeast. The northern part of Arizona has a terrific climate as well. I'll take Flagstaff's climate any day over Tucson's or (God save me from this hellhole) Phoenix.