How many months of the year is the temperature nice (not too warm or cold)? (Phoenix: high school, living)

[esnox82]

No thanks. They can have it! I'll gladly donate mine.

[MidwestMisery]

Originally Posted by esnox82

No thanks. They can have it! I'll gladly donate mine.

Esnox, I agree 100% I want to get rid of all of this garbage and head out ASAP. I just don't know how long it will take to sell the house in this economy. My wife and I also need to get jobs before we move down there. I don't want to get down there and then not be able to affrod to live. I too believe that the humidity here in the summer is worse than the dry heat AZ gets. The humidity is unbearable for me. Good luck getting down there! Who knows, maybe one day we will meet and laugh at the past.

[azriverfan.]

Ideal weather = 6 months.

Pleasant/Tolerable Weather = 8 months

For me personally, Mid-May to Mid-September is really hot. Between those times, I can deal with it and the heat doesn't bother me.

For people who can't tolerate any hot weather, Mid-October to Late April.

Keep in mind, however, if you are someone who can't tolerate heat and has traditionally not been someone who adapts well to heat, you don't want to move here. I've never understood how people knowingly move to Phoenix and then whine about heat; it's completely asinine.

I know that I don't do well in cold weather. I hate cold weather and while I don't particularly like really hot weather, I will gladly accept hot summers over a cold winter. Therefore, I don't entertain the thought of moving to places with any type of real winter even if it's a brief winter (Dallas). So be honest with yourself and what you can tolerate.

Finally, remember few places in this country have year round ideal weather. Southern California and Hawaii are really the only places I can think of that have perfect weather. Florida is hot and gets muggy.

[Raean]

azriverfan is right on the money.
I have tolerated the Midwest for far too long, and was worried a little about the heat in AZ, but after reading some things on here a few things make sense:
1. In AZ, if you miss the milder weather in the summer you can drive a few hours north and experience it on a weekend, vacation. In the midwest (like Michigan) when it is cold, there's no escape unless you get on a plane and fly south.
2. In the winter you spend alot of time inside with the heater on, and even in the summer in July there are many days it's too hot (and humid!) to stay outdoors too long. The humidity makes the heat much worse
So in AZ you will want to spend more time indoors in the summer to keep cool, either way you are spending a few months more inside than out due to weather. HOWEVER, in AZ in the summer when you want to go somewhere you don't have to scrape the ice off your car, watch the road conditions, waste gas warming up your car, or worry that the weather may turn nasty once you're on the road. You also don't have to return home to 2 feet of snow covering your driveway, and have to shovel it all out (or pay someone to do it) before you can even get into your house.
I don't mind snow in small intervals, but other than that I absolutely hate winter. If you've lived through many winters, tolerating the heat in the summer is actually less expensive and time consuming. Just walk in and crank up that air

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Raean

azriverfan is right on the money.
I have tolerated the Midwest for far too long, and was worried a little about the heat in AZ, but after reading some things on here a few things make sense:
1. In AZ, if you miss the milder weather in the summer you can drive a few hours north and experience it on a weekend, vacation. In the midwest (like Michigan) when it is cold, there's no escape unless you get on a plane and fly south.
2. In the winter you spend alot of time inside with the heater on, and even in the summer in July there are many days it's too hot (and humid!) to stay outdoors too long. The humidity makes the heat much worse
So in AZ you will want to spend more time indoors in the summer to keep cool, either way you are spending a few months more inside than out due to weather. HOWEVER, in AZ in the summer when you want to go somewhere you don't have to scrape the ice off your car, watch the road conditions, waste gas warming up your car, or worry that the weather may turn nasty once you're on the road. You also don't have to return home to 2 feet of snow covering your driveway, and have to shovel it all out (or pay someone to do it) before you can even get into your house.
I don't mind snow in small intervals, but other than that I absolutely hate winter. If you've lived through many winters, tolerating the heat in the summer is actually less expensive and time consuming. Just walk in and crank up that air

Well said, the other key difference between hot summers and cold weather is timing

In the winter, when you leave for work in the morning, the weather is at it's worst. Pulling out of the driveway at 6 AM in the winter is pure hell. It makes it more difficult to wake up in the mornings when it's cold because all you want to do is stay in bed and keep warm.

In a Phoenix summer, when you leave for work in the morning, the weather is great. You don't feel the intense heat because the sun is not beaming on you. It's not in the 100's. Due to the heat and sunshine, it's easier to wake up in the morning.

In the winter, when you drive home from work in the evening, the weather starts to get cold again. You missed the warmest part of the day because you were working. So now you have to re-experience the cold again. You can't do outdoor activities because the evening tundra is coming. You cover the plants. You stay indoors.

In a Phoenix summer, when you you leave for work in the evening, the weather starts to cool down again. You can get into your swimming pool at night in the summer. You go for walks. You play tennis. While it's still hot even in the evenings in the summer, when the sun is not beaming on you, it's very tolerable. And because it's dry, you don't feel sticky; it actually feels okay at night in the summer. And because it's not humid, you don't worry about insects and other flying bugs bothering you at night like you do in most other places during a summer night.

[khuntrevor]

I've read that the human body needs 15 minutes of sunshine per day. Otherwise, there will be Melatonin issues, that will really slow you down. I went to Minnesota for a wedding last June, and it was like going to another planet. Lot's of Anemia, and people that just stay indoors way too much. I would like to hear the Doctor's opinion on the (un)healthiness of months without sunshine. I remember after living in Thailand for a year, then working in Virginia, where I suffered an extended two month sun deprivation. When I finally saw a clear, bright sunrise again, it actually brought tears to my eyes.

[Siduri]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

I've read that the human body needs 15 minutes of sunshine per day. Otherwise, there will be Melatonin issues, that will really slow you down. I went to Minnesota for a wedding last June, and it was like going to another planet. Lot's of Anemia, and people that just stay indoors way too much. I would like to hear the Doctor's opinion on the (un)healthiness of months without sunshine. I remember after living in Thailand for a year, then working in Virginia, where I suffered an extended two month sun deprivation. When I finally saw a clear, bright sunrise again, it actually brought tears to my eyes.

I can't even begin to tell you what a sunny day does for me. We get them so rarely in the winter. We had one today, actually and it felt AWESOME. Would have been better if I didn't have to spend an hour brushing off my car...

I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb when I get to Phoenix in a few weeks. So pale!

[Raean]

khuntrevor has a good point too!
Vitamin D is overlooked so often.
I know I feel so sluggish and even depressed through the winter months. My daughter had that problem too. She's been in Arizona now for a week, and she says the difference she feels is absolutely amazing! I can't wait!!

Siduri, I know what you mean, pale. But hopefully not for long, right?

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

I've read that the human body needs 15 minutes of sunshine per day. Otherwise, there will be Melatonin issues, that will really slow you down. I went to Minnesota for a wedding last June, and it was like going to another planet. Lot's of Anemia, and people that just stay indoors way too much. I would like to hear the Doctor's opinion on the (un)healthiness of months without sunshine. I remember after living in Thailand for a year, then working in Virginia, where I suffered an extended two month sun deprivation. When I finally saw a clear, bright sunrise again, it actually brought tears to my eyes.

To be honest, there are no studies that prove living in an area with increased sunlight is healthier. You are right in that we require a minimum exposure of 15 minutes with regard to Vitamin D.

What I can tell you is that the majority of sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disoder (90%) are those who live in areas with reduced sun exposure. They become chronically depressed.

In addition, many people with inflammatory arthropathies and conditions do worse in the cold. Patients with multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, and fibromyalgia do much better here. And 80% of adults beyond 70 begin to experience some form of osteoarthritis. Furthermore, cancer patients tend to do better in warm environments due to their wasting condition and their decreased muscle mass, the warmer temperatures tend to provide them with relief as opposed to living in the cold.

Lastly, there are issues related to trauma. In cold environments, the incidence of fracture secondary to falls is considerably higher. As we get older, our sense of balance, proprioception and weight bearing begins to decline. For most people, if they step on ice or a slippery surface, they are able to adjust themselves fairly easily and unconsciously. For an elderly person, this is no longer the case and they tend to fall and suffer from fractures. And if you or I fall, we get up and are okay. When an elderly person falls, he or she stands a higher risk of experiencing a fracture because their bones are less dense secondary to aging. It's a real problem in many cold weather cities and ER's will see several elderly pelvic, hip and wrist fractures secondary to fall.

Also, anemia has nothing to do with Vitamin D. Vitamin D is used in Calcium metabolism. Anemia is caused by deficiencies in B12 and folate. B12 only comes from animal products so pure vegans are the only ones who truly have a risk of becoming B12 deficient without supplementation. And alcoholics are the only who are truly at risk of folic acid deficiency because most food is supplemented with folic acid and chronic alcoholics don't eat enough as they supplement alcohol for food so they will become deficient in thiamine and folate. And even if you don't consume a lot of animal products, B12 is stored in the liver for approximately 8 months so it's hard to become depleted of B12. Most B12 deficiency isn't due to diet but to autoimmune causes like pernicious anemia or atrophic gastritis.

[synapse]

Originally Posted by wikoogle

Hello,

I'm trying to decide between two nearly identical jobs in Pheonix and Michigan.

Weather is a big concern for me, I hate extreme cold temperatures and I hate extremely warm temperatures that cause you to sweat.

How many months of the year would you say Pheonix has a nice temperature?

Also, on those hot summer days, does the temperature cool down significantly in the evening or atleast at night, or does it stay really hot the whole day?

I really appreciate your help. Thank you.

Ideal: October, November, December, January, February, March

Tolerable: September, April (hot during day, cools down at night)

Ridiculously Hot: May, June, July, August (just too hot all the time - yes, dry, but 95 and dry at night feels ... bizarre.)