Phoenix heat and humidity? Dry as Las Vegas? (how much, moving)

[Clodius et Claudius.]

I have heard that Phoenix is the hottest major city in the United States according to temperature. I see that the average July/August is temp is 106 F. But is it dry? There seems to be little precipitation, but what comes seems to often occur in the summer.

Las Vegas is intolerably hot, despite the very low humidity. Is Phoenix just as dry? How high is the humidity? Give me a number if possible, please.

[Ponderosa]

Phoenix is hotter than Las Vegas. It is more humid in summer too.

https://pics2.city-data.com/w2q/humq989.png

[observer53]

We don't get the summer rain in Phoenix that we used to get. That said, Ponderosa is correct. For a variety of reasons, it is more humid here than in Vegas, particularly in July and August. I found July average relative humiidity figures in the low 30 percent range at midday.

[Clodius et Claudius.]

Originally Posted by observer53

We don't get the summer rain in Phoenix that we used to get. That said, Ponderosa is correct. For a variety of reasons, it is more humid here than in Vegas, particularly in July and August. I found July average relative humiidity figures in the low 30 percent range at midday.

Is 30% for Phoenix? That's quite dry, somewhat like Irvine (near Los angeles)

Las Vegas is more like 15%.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Haowen Wong

Is 30% for Phoenix? That's quite dry, somewhat like Irvine (near Los angeles)

Las Vegas is more like 15%.

Yes, I meant Phoenix, which is what you asked about. It can be higher at other times of the day.

Here's a link about low humidity cities in the US. LV is the lowest, followed by Phoenix. Both are the only cities in this survey with an average year round humidity under 40 percent. http://www.currentresults.com/Weathe...ity-cities.php

[cacto]

It's hotter for longer than anywhere else. If you're thinking of moving here, know beforehand there is no way around that.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Haowen Wong

I have heard that Phoenix is the hottest major city in the United States according to temperature. I see that the average July/August is temp is 106 F. But is it dry? There seems to be little precipitation, but what comes seems to often occur in the summer.

Actually, the majority of our precipitation comes in the winter months. According to the averages, 3.70 inches of rain falls during the winter rainy season (December through March). During the summer monsoon (June through September), the total average rainfall is 2.71 inches. Keep in mind that this is the official data for Phoenix Sky Harbor. Many suburban areas in the north & east Valley receive much more rainfall during both the summer & winter. And in some parts of Arizona, summer is the predominant rainy season, but usually not in Phoenix.

Originally Posted by Haowen Wong

Las Vegas is intolerably hot, despite the very low humidity. Is Phoenix just as dry? How high is the humidity? Give me a number if possible, please.

Phoenix can be just as dry as Las Vegas just before the summer monsoon sets in. June is typically the driest month, and single digit humidity readings in the afternoon are very common. I believe our all time lowest humidity was 2%, which was tied on multiple occasions ... and many of those occasions were in June.

During the monsoon, humidity can be a lot higher, but it's the dew point that we usually watch more. That's a measure of the temperature and how much moisture there is in the air. Typically, a dew point over 55 degrees is on the sticky side. Dew points between 60 and 70 degrees indicate that it is very sticky, and anything over 70 means serious tropical moisture has set in. Keep in mind that the summer monsoon is hit & miss, so there are periods of very hot, dry weather in July & August.

[steenskees]

GO turn on a blow dryer and put your mouth around it. THAT IS EXACTLY what it feels like 5 months out of the year. It's awful. Instant bad mood!!! SLight humidity ONLY during short period during monsoon but doesn't last long.

[Marv101]

Phoenix gets about 8 inches of rain per year, as opposed to 4.5 for Las Vegas; both cities are prone to thunderstorms during the summer which can result in intermittent episodes of torrential downfall.

[ReadyFreddy]

Originally Posted by steenskees

GO turn on a blow dryer and put your mouth around it. THAT IS EXACTLY what it feels like 5 months out of the year. It's awful. Instant bad mood!!! SLight humidity ONLY during short period during monsoon but doesn't last long.

I agree it feels something like being surrounded by blow dryer air, but your mouth? Er, not following you there...

For me it's sort of instant good mood! Especially going from a super-cooled building out into 100+ weather... Ahh, it's like getting into a hot tub on a cold day!