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I definitely prefer these two North Carolina cities over Phoenix when it comes to Summer weather.
My worst heat related memory of Phoenix is when I was there on business in August (not my choice). I vividly recall looking at a thermometer on one of the buildings across from the nice hotel I was staying in. It read 119 degrees. The heat index certainly never feels that bad here in Raleigh. We may see heat indexes above 105 a handful of days a summer. That’s a normal summer high temp in Phoenix.
I definitely prefer these two North Carolina cities over Phoenix when it comes to Summer weather.
My worst heat related memory of Phoenix is when I was there on business in August (not my choice). I vividly recall looking at a thermometer on one of the buildings across from the nice hotel I was staying in. It read 119 degrees. The heat index certainly never feels that bad here in Raleigh. We may see heat indexes above 105 a handful of days a summer. That’s a normal summer high temp in Phoenix.
I wouldn't say 119F is a normal summer high in Phoenix; it's unusually high. I believe the average high is somewhere around 105F. I know people will say that once it gets over 100, it doesn't matter how much hotter it is, but they are lying. I live in a city where 100-105F is not unknown during August/September, but I was once in Palm Desert when it was 117, and there was no comparison. 117 is flat out intolerable compared to 105. But the point is, it was a horrible heat wave for the residents of Palm Desert as well as us tourists.
I definitely prefer these two North Carolina cities over Phoenix when it comes to Summer weather.
My worst heat related memory of Phoenix is when I was there on business in August (not my choice). I vividly recall looking at a thermometer on one of the buildings across from the nice hotel I was staying in. It read 119 degrees. The heat index certainly never feels that bad here in Raleigh. We may see heat indexes above 105 a handful of days a summer. That’s a normal summer high temp in Phoenix.
Are you sure?
"August - 117 degrees
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Phoenix in August is 117 degrees, which has happened twice. The first time was on August 26, 2011, and the second time was on August 14, 2015."
I wouldn't say 119F is a normal summer high in Phoenix; it's unusually high. I believe the average high is somewhere around 105F. I know people will say that once it gets over 100, it doesn't matter how much hotter it is, but they are lying. I live in a city where 100-105F is not unknown during August/September, but I was once in Palm Desert when it was 117, and there was no comparison. 117 is flat out intolerable compared to 105. But the point is, it was a horrible heat wave for the residents of Palm Desert as well as us tourists.
I was referring to the 105 as a normal summer high in Phoenix. The 119 was just one experience, and it was on a thermometer on the side of the office building next to the Ritz where I was staying on business (I think it’s now the Camby). It was in mid August, and I took a picture of it, as it is where I had to spend my birthday. I then walked over to the mall (tunnel under Camelback) to find some food—I eventually settled on what I believe was a Houston’s? back at the Esplanade. This was over a decade ago. I’ve only seen that temp before myself in Vegas and higher than that once at a Denny’s in Baker CA (on the way to Vegas). I also saw a UHaul that had burst into flames on the side of the interstate on that trip.
Phoenix’s record high is 122, set in June 1990, I believe.
Last edited by RaleighSentinel; 01-02-2021 at 03:41 PM..
Which place has worse weather, and/or summers overall?
Would you rather live in Phoenix's dry heat, or Charlotte/Raleigh's humidity?
Which region has a more comfortable climate overall (Phoenix vs. Charlotte/Raleigh)?
A better west vs east summer heat comparison would be Phoenix vs Houston or Phoenix vs Miami.
Charlotte summers are usually pretty tolerable. They do have some years where it gets up to the low 100s but that's rare. Humidity in Charlotte is also lower than it is closer to the Gulf Coast.
Charlotte. Dry heat or not, the 100+ degree heat day after day gets really taxing after a while. I don't mind the level of humidity that Charlotte gets at all. I just don't personally find it that extreme. I also prefer the lush green topography that the rain/humidity produces compared to a dry/dusty climate. I also enjoy a good thunderstorm, as long as no one gets hurt.
They're both pretty awful. Phoenix is a broiler oven for 3ish months, and Charlotte is a muggy sauna for about the same length of time. Still, I loathe humidity with a passion and even if Charlotte is cooler than Phoenix and "isn't as humid as" <insert city here> (a common tactic that's used to gloss over how muggy the southeast is), it's still way too humid for me.
Phoenix also has more interesting terrain in and near the city, and winters are a fair bit milder than Charlotte.
I definitely prefer these two North Carolina cities over Phoenix when it comes to Summer weather.
My worst heat related memory of Phoenix is when I was there on business in August (not my choice). I vividly recall looking at a thermometer on one of the buildings across from the nice hotel I was staying in. It read 119 degrees. The heat index certainly never feels that bad here in Raleigh. We may see heat indexes above 105 a handful of days a summer. That’s a normal summer high temp in Phoenix.
But if we're just looking at summer weather NC isn't a great spot either, I'd much rather be in the mountains of Colorado or in the Pacific Northwest in the summer than NC. It's better than Phoenix in the summer but it's not a great summer weather destination.
However, since most of us live in a location all 12 months of the year the other 8ish months that aren't summer in Phoenix are pretty ideal. Also, factor in the nearby high country which offers cooler temps at elevations up to 7,000 (Flagstaff as an example) and you can see why Phoenix becomes pretty livable.
You'll see Phoenix showing up on lists for the best weather in winter, spring and fall. Charlotte does show up for fall as well.
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