Potential move to Phoenix area from Oklahoma, some questions... (Scottsdale: for rent, houses)

[DR2012]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

The bad news, the heat here is worse IMO. There's a couple reasons for that. Even though the humidity is miserable there it is still 20 degrees cooler. It cools down faster at night and reaches a lower temp.

Hmm, you quoted my post but it's different in Louisiana than OK so not sure if you really mean it's 20 degrees hotter in AZ just in general, or you mean that toward me. In LA we had 110 - 118 degrees in the summer. So is it really 130 to 140 degrees there? I didn't think so, ouch!

My sister lives in the desert and she finds the shade makes a HUGE difference, here, not so much - shade sure it's better, but I notice very little difference. It didn't cool down here at night either - your best bet was early AM. This past summer it was still 100's at night.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by DR2012

Hmm, you quoted my post but it's different in Louisiana than OK so not sure if you really mean it's 20 degrees hotter in AZ just in general, or you mean that toward me. In LA we had 110 - 118 degrees in the summer. So is it really 130 to 140 degrees there? I didn't think so, ouch!

My sister lives in the desert and she finds the shade makes a HUGE difference, here, not so much - shade sure it's better, but I notice very little difference. It didn't cool down here at night either - your best bet was early AM. This past summer it was still 100's at night.

LOL, I quoted the wrong post. Sorry.

[DR2012]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

LOL, I quoted the wrong post. Sorry.

Ah OK! I was wondering about the religion thing hehe. I thought maybe you were writing back to multiple people. No worries

[SouthernBelleFromHell]

Originally Posted by DellNec

A black car with a black leather interior in Phx is the definition of a masochist. You will have to place towels on the seats and the steering wheel will get so hot you will have to wear gloves to protect your hands from burns. While not humid like OK, Phx will see humidity during the monsoon season (July - Sep). It will get to 110F with humidity during those months.

You couldn't pay me to live in OK. Phx is much better than OK. Ideally Prescott, AZ provides a better climate but jobs are scarce up here.

Well, I already have to do that every summer here, with the towels and gloves and such, so I'm used to it. I will have to get the windows tinted and get a seat cover, and make the best of it. Once the weather is back into the 80s it'll be fine, I think.

Oklahoma humidity is 70%-ish, all day, every day, for 3 to 4 months straight, anywhere from 90 to 110 degrees. Isn't is fairly safe to say that the monsoon humidity won't last that long? Truthfully, anything below 40% sounds great to me. This summer we had about a month of 110-115 with 70% humidity, and it really tried everyone's sanity.

[SouthernBelleFromHell]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

The bad news, the heat here is worse IMO. There's a couple reasons for that. Even though the humidity is miserable there it is still 20 degrees cooler. It cools down faster at night and reaches a lower temp. And the biggie is you have shade. You can get under a big old oak or a hickory or whatever. The shade keeps the ground cooler and stops the radiation from hot surfaces that goes on well past midnight here. Also, there is water in green country. There are lakes here in the desert, but it takes hours to get to one and they too have no shade. We do have mountains with forests and lakes, and that is something that OK does not really have anything like. You need time and money to get to them though.


The religion thing is missing here too. There is not a church every other block like in OK. There are far fewer parochial and private schools. We do have a religious university here, though it is certainly not as significant as ORU.

Well, Tulsa proper does suffer from the heat island effect, as evidenced on the evening weather reports during the summer. Yes, we have green and trees, but lots of pavement as well. It's usually 5 to 7 degrees warmer in midtown than in the suburbs after sunset. The heat is oppressive in both areas, but in different ways. Oppressive humidity vs oppressive temperatures. From there it's just personal preference which you'd rather deal with.

Kind of glad to get out from under the huge religion/no religion thing. I don't consider ORU to be significant. It's not always looked at in the best light by locals, and sometimes it's just plain embarassing. Fiance was hoping to find a good private school for the boy, but I think if we can get in a good neighborhood school system, that will be just fine. After 40 years in Oklahoma, I can probably handle whatever religious groups are here.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleFromHell

Kind of glad to get out from under the huge religion/no religion thing. I don't consider ORU to be significant. It's not always looked at in the best light by locals, and sometimes it's just plain embarassing. Fiance was hoping to find a good private school for the boy, but I think if we can get in a good neighborhood school system, that will be just fine. After 40 years in Oklahoma, I can probably handle whatever religious groups are here.

When I moved to OK in 1982 the liquor laws were oppressive. Still have a problem with 3.2 beer... but TX is only 40 minutes away. I don't think you'll hear a lot of fire-and-brimstone in Phoenix.

Since I don't live in the Valley anymore I can't tell you if high school football is a pseudo-religion the way it is in OK or TX, especially for Union or Jenks (Union's turn against Broken Arrow this year).

There are some older neighborhoods in Phoenix which may remind you of some of the Tulsa neighborhoods as well, but Tulsa's SoBo really doesn't have a Phoenix equivalent. Used to go there a lot when I lived in Fort Smith, there was a really nice tapas joint on South Boston. You won't need a PikePass in Phoenix. (Just redid mine this week).

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleFromHell

Well, I already have to do that every summer here, with the towels and gloves and such, so I'm used to it. I will have to get the windows tinted and get a seat cover, and make the best of it. Once the weather is back into the 80s it'll be fine, I think.

Oklahoma humidity is 70%-ish, all day, every day, for 3 to 4 months straight, anywhere from 90 to 110 degrees. Isn't is fairly safe to say that the monsoon humidity won't last that long? Truthfully, anything below 40% sounds great to me. This summer we had about a month of 110-115 with 70% humidity, and it really tried everyone's sanity.

It'll be fine here when the weather is back to the 90s. 80s is heaven. Humidity is rarely over 30% on summer days. It will feel like a very dry day to you even when people here are moaning about the humidity. You can actually go about light activities in the hottest part of the day and not be even damp with sweat. It just evaporates. If you put out a soaking wet towel it will be dry and stiff in about an hour. You work up a soaking sweat even breathing on a OK summer sizzler and your swim suit is wet all summer unless you put it in the dryer. Overall on a year basis, PHX blows TUL right out of the water on climate. It's just that July/Aug early Sep stretch that kills you.

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleFromHell

Well, I already have to do that every summer here, with the towels and gloves and such, so I'm used to it. I will have to get the windows tinted and get a seat cover, and make the best of it. Once the weather is back into the 80s it'll be fine, I think.

Oklahoma humidity is 70%-ish, all day, every day, for 3 to 4 months straight, anywhere from 90 to 110 degrees. Isn't is fairly safe to say that the monsoon humidity won't last that long? Truthfully, anything below 40% sounds great to me. This summer we had about a month of 110-115 with 70% humidity, and it really tried everyone's sanity.

With the Phx monsoon, the humidity comes and goes. Some days is worse than others but there will be days where it can be 110F+ with 70%+ humidity. Not always but the humidity will be sporadic. What you will find interesting is the dust storms/haboob that form in the valley.

The valley will see temps around 100F at midnight. It does not cool down like it use to. The heat island traps the heat and the temps will be over 100F even after midnight. The A/C will run and run and depending on the home, insulation, etc., you will see electric costs $200-$400 a month. APS claims the average utility bill for residential customers in Phx is around $240 a month. Don't forget to calculate the higher utility costs involved in living in the valley of the sun.

Good idea with the car and putting seat covers and tinting the windows. It will help a lot.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by DellNec

With the Phx monsoon, the humidity comes and goes. Some days is worse than others but there will be days where it can be 110F+ with 70%+ humidity. Not always but the humidity will be sporadic. What you will find interesting is the dust storms/haboob that form in the valley.

The valley will see temps around 100F at midnight. It does not cool down like it use to. The heat island traps the heat and the temps will be over 100F even after midnight. The A/C will run and run and depending on the home, insulation, etc., you will see electric costs $200-$400 a month. APS claims the average utility bill for residential customers in Phx is around $240 a month. Don't forget to calculate the higher utility costs involved in living in the valley of the sun.

Good idea with the car and putting seat covers and tinting the windows. It will help a lot.

There will NEVER be a time when the humidity is 70% and the temp is 110. Absolute, utter nonsense! That would require a dewpoint of 98 degrees!

[Kimballette]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

There will NEVER be a time when the humidity is 70% and the temp is 110. Absolute, utter nonsense! That would require a dewpoint of 98 degrees!

Agreed! As I mentioned earlier, the hyperbole is off the charts in this thread.