Cold Weather here in the Valley of the Sun (homes, neighbourhoods)

[sandy6879]

I'm hating the cold too. It's funny, we get a snap like this every year (this year is decidedly longer than what we usually get) and I always mention that it gets cold here in the winters. People always say "oh no it doesn't ever get that cold." Yep. It does. And if memory serves it generally has the potential to be this cold through January. At least through MLK weekend - that's the benchmark I've seen every year. It is worse elsewhere yes. But to be told every year that it doesn't get this cold here - well...here's proof.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by dvxhd

I actually like these temperatures... but if it were cloudy and rainy I'd be even happier, though I didn't move here for the weather. While I think bitter, below-freezing cold is very uncomfortable and I don't want to be outside in it, I also think Phoenix summers are flat out miserable. Either extreme to me is uncomfortable, and it doesn't come down to a matter of "would you rather...?" when neither end is pleasant to be in, so in either case I plan more indoor activities. Sure, you can't shovel sun, but you also can't turn off sweat glands when you need to get to work, then you get to feel dirty all day. When I lived in a climate susceptible to ice and snow and had to drive, I hated it. When I lived in a climate susceptible to ice and snow and had to rely on public transportation, I didn't mind it so much. Having been in almost every type of climate on Earth, I don't think any of them are ideal to me, which is why I would base living preferences on what a place has to offer other than weather.

I'd have to agree 100%. Everything you stated is pretty much a carbon copy of my thoughts. No climate is perfect, but San Diego or Honolulu would be close to perfect year round ... no extreme heat or cold in either location. San Diego does have maybe one brief hot spell and one brief cold spell during the course of the year, but not the extreme(s) that Phoenix often has. The only downside I could see about Honolulu is the lack of variety because it's pretty much the same temperature all year. That could get monotonous after a while.

Originally Posted by sandy6879

I'm hating the cold too. It's funny, we get a snap like this every year (this year is decidedly longer than what we usually get) and I always mention that it gets cold here in the winters. People always say "oh no it doesn't ever get that cold." Yep. It does. And if memory serves it generally has the potential to be this cold through January. At least through MLK weekend - that's the benchmark I've seen every year. It is worse elsewhere yes. But to be told every year that it doesn't get this cold here - well...here's proof.

Our most likely time for cold weather (and/or freezes) is approximately mid December to early February. The main thing I don't like about these cold snaps is having to protect all the sensitive plants. I usually bring the unsheltered potted plants inside, but just having to do it is a pain. Sometimes even after I double cover a few of them (Hibiscus & Lantana especially), they still get nipped and everything is set back.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by sandy6879

But to be told every year that it doesn't get this cold here - well...here's proof.

I know! Ive had natives here tell me I was crazy when I said that it gets to freezing (and below). I mentioned how I left my ice scraper in Chicago and couldve used it here several mornings. This winter we had 4 straight nights where I had frost on my windshield. It gets cold here, I dont care what anyone says.

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

It is amazing how some people are never happy.

This is the hottest place in the United States and yet we have people complaining that it is too cold here. There is no place that is perfect, otherwise we would all be living there.

Find the good in what you have and relax knowing it will be 110 before you know it. I for one am enjoying the change and know the heat is right around the corner.

Yup, I can't help but feel like being cold is a privileged now a days since we get 9 months of miserable heat a year. On the other hand I keep making myself late for work forgetting I have to de-ice the truck for 15 min. I'm just not used to that .
I also moved here for work. The extreme heat was the largest negative going into the move. It is much worse than I imagined. Praying that the weather stays cold like this for as long as possible. Hell, really only mornings and nights are cold right now, unless it's windy. Afternoons are absolutely ideal for me right now. Shorts and Tshirt.

[Quizillla]

Just turned my heater on... for the first time...EVER (in PHX at least!)

I've been in Phoenix 1 year and I moved from the Bay Area CA. I completely agree -- the summers here are MISERABLE. It's sunny outside... looks great... then you step outside and you feel like you're frying / burning alive!! I think I'll start saving now for some mini-trips back to California/ Northern AZ/ Oregon ^.^ The heat just takes a huge toll on me because I love being outside, but it's so miserable.

i am amazed at the wonderful cost-of-living here. While I miss California terribly. I'm buying a house at 22 years old. That WOULDNT happen in the Bay Area. Laws.

[Prickly Pear]

I can't believe some posters in here are saying they want the 100s back. That just makes me want to cringe...

[dvxhd]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

I'd have to agree 100%. Everything you stated is pretty much a carbon copy of my thoughts. No climate is perfect, but San Diego or Honolulu would be close to perfect year round ... no extreme heat or cold in either location. San Diego does have maybe one brief hot spell and one brief cold spell during the course of the year, but not the extreme(s) that Phoenix often has. The only downside I could see about Honolulu is the lack of variety because it's pretty much the same temperature all year. That could get monotonous after a while.

I will add that climate preference is just that, a preference. It's entirely subjective. Periodically Phoenix hits ideal conditions for me (upper 50s to lower 60s and high humidity). I like that these cold temps as of late have been a change from the norm, but in general I'm neutral to the warm, dry weather often associated with Phoenix in the winter. I haven't been to Honolulu, but I believe it has a tropical climate. I've been in that type in Southeast Asia and the temperature doesn't vary greatly between summer or winter, but humid subtropical climates like those in Hong Kong and Hanoi are very pleasant in the winter (as opposed to the other type that can be found in the US South). However, I don't know that either of those cities are pleasant year-round... at least for me. Whether I stay here or move on in the future, I'll just deal with whatever climate I have. On a final note, it never ceases to amaze me how delusional people can be when they list off the natural disasters they believe Phoenix is immune to. Most are highly unlikely (though entirely possible, including tornadoes), but it is well-documented that the Valley has had a long history of potent floods, from the worst in 1891, to a powerful one in 1970 that took out a development in the Salt River bed, to one in 1980 that made parts of town inaccessible, to the one that happened just last year.

[Renegade007]

Phoenix does not get cold. Not even close.
Cold is Chicago. Cold is Minneapolis. Cold is Boston, Green Bay and any northern U.S. city
A place that barely gets to freezing 3 or 4 times a year? That's darn near tropical!

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by Renegade007

Phoenix does not get cold. Not even close.
Cold is Chicago. Cold is Minneapolis. Cold is Boston, Green Bay and any northern U.S. city
A place that barely gets to freezing 3 or 4 times a year? That's darn near tropical!

No. Tropical would be Aruba or Curacao. You know, places that will most likely never dip below 75 degrees, even in the dead of winter (although it can happen verrrrrry infrequently). PHX is a verifiable ice box in comparison.

[R_Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

our low humidity is the "problem" (not a problem to me) which causes the wide swing in temperatures day to night....

Yep - I've been telling my sisters in South Dakota that it IS cold here, but it's a DRY COLD!

Originally Posted by ElleTea

It is the 30 degree mornings and nights that are killing me. I can never get warm even inside thanks to all tile and a "cave like" cold indoors.

I feel your pain. I lived in South Dakota for my growing-up years, so I KNOW what it feels like to have it 90º Below with Wind Chill Factor! (I use that on my sisters in the summer when they ask the temp - "Oh yes, it's 115º out, but with the wind chill factor, it only feels like 112º!" )

BUT WAIT, ElleTea - I have a South Dakota/Hawaii solution for you! I take my beach towels (I have a lot. I lived in Hawaii for 30 years after South Dakota!!) and I put them in the dryer. Just before bed, I put the hot towels between the sheets and top blankets. If I'm going to take a quick shower before bed, I will also put my bath towels and my bathrobe in the dryer. It doesn't take a lot of time or cost a lot. 7 minutes is usually enough. When I dry off with that towel and put that robe on, it's HEAVEN! Then slipping under the warm towel right into bed puts me right to sleep. Try it! I've also started baking for New Years already. When I pull the pies out of the oven, I turn off the oven, but leave the oven door open. That helps heat my tiled home as well. Oh, and in the morning, I'll toss a sweatshirt in the dryer for a few minutes before putting it on. It's still cheaper than turning up the heat. I keep my house at 72º and have managed to keep my electric bill under $100.

My BF is from cold weather and he never heard of these little tricks. So maybe they are new to you, too.

Originally Posted by PhoenixSomeday

Exactly. Coming from CA, this place is candy land for me (especially once I get a few more years of software development behind me). What costs $1.5M - $2M back home is only, yes, ONLY $350k-$400k here. If that's unnecessary, you can still get damned nice for less than $200k, which is still attainable by more dual-income families than not. Home ownership is actually a realistic dream here, instead of a someday-I'll-be-rich pipe dream back home.

I agree. I was floored when I left Hawaii and moved here. I got a smokin' deal on a fixer upper back in 2002. What would have been a downpayment in Hawaii almost paid for the house in full. I could afford all the fixin' up and got to make my little place perfect for me. It's an oasis. I also liked that I could find a place in a non-HOA neighborhood. Love it! You'd have to more than win the lottery to live in Hawaii. While I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hawaii and the weather, and I miss it and my kids, I do wish I had moved to Phoenix much earlier. I'd be a helluva lot better off financially. Does anyone pay retail for anything in this town?? Why? The money I save living here allows me to go back "home" to Hawaii about 4-6 times a year and see my kids, get my weather/sushi/food/beach fix and come back here to reality. Life is good.