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Las Vegas (3.5-4 inches) only gets half the precipitation that Phoenix gets (around 8) and Tucson gets 11 inches a year, according to my research.
To qualify for the desert label, it's 10 inches a year or less. So that puts Tucson barely out of the desert range.
Oh c'mon. One extra little inch of rain doesn't not make Tuscon a desert. That's like a fat person saying: "I'm not morbidly obese, I only weigh 299 lbs."
Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
I visited Tucson a few years back, and to compare Las Vegas with Tucson's humidity, I could definitely feel the higher humidity when I was there in June.
So if the humidity levels are too high for you in AZ, Las Vegas will serve you better, overall, but we too have our "monsoon" season where our humidity levels can creep up to 20-30% in late July/August, the painful time of the year for us.
20-30% humidity is extremely low, not even noticeable. If anything, it would keep your sinuses from drying out like they normally do in the desert.
I didn't compare them, I was responding to when you said "humans were never meant to live in desert or warm climates". Same could be said for dangerously frigid climates.
No, this is what you said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by polo89
I disagree, look at a place like Antarctica, humans can BARELY survive there, and the one's that do live there, only live there for a set amount of time, on the flip side some of the hottest places on Earth have humans who have been living and surviving there for generations. Like others have said, you NEED oil and energy to keep warm, and when that runs out, then you're screwed. On the flip side, it doesn't require much energy to survive hotter climates. Humans started in Africa.
You tried to draw a comparison between people barely being able to survive in Antarctica, to living in the state of MN. What a completely ridiculous comparison, as ridiculous as comparing AZ to Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.
You tried to draw a comparison between people barely being able to survive in Antarctica, to living in the state of MN. What a completely ridiculous comparison, as ridiculous as comparing AZ to Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.
I get a kick out of the fact that a Cheesehead is turning out to be the most vocal defender of Minnesota climate
There are stories every winter here in NC about homeless people freezing to death. In NC of all places, in the SOUTH!!
You can find a homeless person frozen to death in Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas in the coldest days of winter.
It's not unheard of for the nighttime temp's to fall to the 20's in Las Vegas.
And even if they fall to the 30's in Phoenix, remember the windchill factor.
35 degrees/30MPH wind==Feels like 6 degrees.
30 degrees/30MPH wind==Feels like -2 degrees.
25 degrees/20MPH wind==Feels like -3 degrees.
Oh c'mon. One extra little inch of rain doesn't not make Tuscon a desert. That's like a fat person saying: "I'm not morbidly obese, I only weigh 299 lbs."
20-30% humidity is extremely low, not even noticeable. If anything, it would keep your sinuses from drying out like they normally do in the desert.
What's interesting is that parts of the Southwest get their most rainfall in summer. Something like 50%-75% of yearly rainfall occurs during the summer monsoon in Arizona. Winter rainfall is often much less. Unfortunately, due to the heat, much of the rain from summer thunderstorms is evaporated very quickly. Plus the desert soils tend to absorb the water rapidly. But downpours can cause flash flooding. I was in a flash flood near Indio a few years ago. We were lucky and decided to turn around & go back to my cousin's house because the water flooded the highway & left mud in cars as high as the windows.
But Tucson is over 2000' elevation & is considerably cooler than Phoenix. The mountains near Tucson get plenty of rainfall each year. Tucson has one of the nicest climates in the U.S.
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by californio sur
What's interesting is that parts of the Southwest get their most rainfall in summer. Something like 50%-75% of yearly rainfall occurs during the summer monsoon in Arizona. Winter rainfall is often much less. Unfortunately, due to the heat, much of the rain from summer thunderstorms is evaporated very quickly. Plus the desert soils tend to absorb the water rapidly. But downpours can cause flash flooding. I was in a flash flood near Indio a few years ago. We were lucky and decided to turn around & go back to my cousin's house because the water flooded the highway & left mud in cars as high as the windows.
But Tucson is over 2000' elevation & is considerably cooler than Phoenix. The mountains near Tucson get plenty of rainfall each year. Tucson has one of the nicest climates in the U.S.
I can vouch for that, I have lived in Tucson for a considerable amount of time, the city is magnificent. And yes, it does get rainfall, for those that think it's entirely dry.
The climate there is part of the reason why Tucson is my favorite city in all of USA. You really should see the city before you make any generalizations about it. (To the people that don't believe Californio Sur's description)
By the way, one inch of rain means a lot when it comes to terrain. You would be surprised how much one inch mattered.
When I lived in Phoenix, I was surprised, as you head south to the Border, you steadily rise in altitude, until you get to Nogales at 3800 feet. More extreme, going north out of Phoenix, to 7000 feet at Flagstaff.
So you can actually drive south from Tucson, some 60 miles, and cool off a bit in Nogales at 3800 feet, or go SE to Bisbee at 5000+ feet.
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover
When I lived in Phoenix, I was surprised, as you head south to the Border, you steadily rise in altitude, until you get to Nogales at 3800 feet. More extreme, going north out of Phoenix, to 7000 feet at Flagstaff.
So you can actually drive south from Tucson, some 60 miles, and cool off a bit in Nogales at 3800 feet, or go SE to Bisbee at 5000+ feet.
Yeah not to mention how much snow Flagstaff get's during winter. The San Francisco peaks area is a great place to snow board, the first time I tried it out, almost got frost bite. Haha, Arizona climate in general tend to vary where you go.
Like take Yuma for example, it is one of the hottest cities in the country (Yes folks it can get hotter than the Phoenix).
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