Record high temperatures this week 20 Degrees above normal (Phoenix, Scottsdale: gym, to move)

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by DR2012

I wonder about that myself. I mean, I found myself very sensitive to this past winter's cold - thinking maybe I am adapting more than ever. But 90 in February, as one said, is a bit much. What does that mean in 20 years from now? 105 in February? 135 in July? 150 in August of 2040? I expect to be alive then. Maybe I'm overreacting but wow, it seems like it could be possible. I suppose I could just move!

Phoenix, where only the strong remain.

Or perhaps one could just as easily say perhaps just the somewhat insane remain?

[Potential_Landlord]

Originally Posted by DR2012

I wonder about that myself. I mean, I found myself very sensitive to this past winter's cold - thinking maybe I am adapting more than ever. But 90 in February, as one said, is a bit much. What does that mean in 20 years from now? 105 in February? 135 in July? 150 in August of 2040? I expect to be alive then. Maybe I'm overreacting but wow, it seems like it could be possible. I suppose I could just move!

There would be no more discussion about property values as they would be all zero.

[ScottsdaleMark]

The one constant regardless of whether you believe in anthropogenic global warming or just natural climate cycles is the rotation of the earth on its axis, and around the sun. We are basically always going to get ~9 hrs 56 min of sunlight on our shortest day and ~14 hrs 22 min on our longest day according to the charts. Additionally, in the summer the sun is much higher in the sky and thus provides much more heat, whereas in the winter it is lower in the sky and provides less heat. I looked it up and the speed of the rotation of the earth only changes milliseconds every year even with warming etc. so these times should remain unchanged.

Therefore, I personally doubt it will ever be 100 degrees on Christmas...there is just not enough sunlight at that time of year. Could we see a lot more 80-degree Christmases, absolutely, particularly as the earth in general warms a few more degrees (potentially). But even the most ardent climate activists only foresee a few degrees temperature gain for the earth as a whole...so while we may see more extreme weather like this, I don't think we'll see tremendous leaps and bounds. Warmer yes, but still recognizable. Or at least that is my thinking, and my hope. I guess time will tell how extreme the extreme episodes will be in the future.

This warm February is shocking, but we are two months removed from the winter solstice already so the days have gotten appreciably longer already and thus this sort of warm-up is at the furthest reaches of what is possible at this time of year.

Here is a chart showing daylight hours throughout the year...and sun angle throughout the year...if it is of any interest.


The sun in the summer (the top line) is much higher in the sky and traverses more of a half-circle around us, whereas the sun in the winter (the bottom line) is more of a glancing blow, so to speak. The orange line is the sun's path today.

[JGMotorsport64]

I'm no meteorologist, but from what I understand this is an anomaly, this was as physically hot as it could get. Everything lined up with the high pressure system sitting on top of us.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by elcajones

I think I agree with that. I just can't figure out why that is. AZ is even drier and San Diego is at a similar longitude. Why is the sun so much more harsh here on a sunny day?

The sun is so much more harsh here than coastal CA because we don't have the sunshine scattering effect coastal CA has. In CA, the sun hits the water vapor in the lower atmosphere and gives a less intense sunshine.

You'll notice the same effect (bright intense sun) in Denver. Except they have the added curse of high elevation.

[ScottsdaleMark]

I agree Doug. Even as an Arizonan, used to intense sun, I find that high-altitude sun in mountain locales to be a different kind of pain...it's sort of a piercing, blinding light and just seems more so than at our elevation where even when it's incredibly hot and sunny, it doesn't feel as sharp and blinding to me, even though it feels much more warm and powerful.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by ScottsdaleMark

The one constant regardless of whether you believe in anthropogenic global warming or just natural climate cycles is the rotation of the earth on its axis, and around the sun. We are basically always going to get ~9 hrs 56 min of sunlight on our shortest day and ~14 hrs 22 min on our longest day according to the charts. Additionally, in the summer the sun is much higher in the sky and thus provides much more heat, whereas in the winter it is lower in the sky and provides less heat. I looked it up and the speed of the rotation of the earth only changes milliseconds every year even with warming etc. so these times should remain unchanged.

Therefore, I personally doubt it will ever be 100 degrees on Christmas...there is just not enough sunlight at that time of year. Could we see a lot more 80-degree Christmases, absolutely, particularly as the earth in general warms a few more degrees (potentially). But even the most ardent climate activists only foresee a few degrees temperature gain for the earth as a whole...so while we may see more extreme weather like this, I don't think we'll see tremendous leaps and bounds. Warmer yes, but still recognizable. Or at least that is my thinking, and my hope. I guess time will tell how extreme the extreme episodes will be in the future.

This warm February is shocking, but we are two months removed from the winter solstice already so the days have gotten appreciably longer already and thus this sort of warm-up is at the furthest reaches of what is possible at this time of year.

Here is a chart showing daylight hours throughout the year...and sun angle throughout the year...if it is of any interest.


The sun in the summer (the top line) is much higher in the sky and traverses more of a half-circle around us, whereas the sun in the winter (the bottom line) is more of a glancing blow, so to speak. The orange line is the sun's path today.

Good info, ScottsdaleMark. I just turned my evap cooler on, and I was perfectly fine yesterday. I'll do the same today.

[Potential_Landlord]

The issue is that we have no margin of error in our locale with Global Warming. First rule in engineering: always have enough margin of safety. That's why we of all locales we should be pushing hard to safeguard from it regardless if it is unlikely. Yet we keep our heads in the desert sand. Good luck to us, we'll need it.
We know from our anciant Indian cultures in Arizona that climate played a role in their demises. Settlements were abandoned, cultures ended. So we know that our natural climate is marginal for human settlement here. If Global Warming only enhances climate swings by 10% it is very critical for us here. We do not have a margin of safety on this.

[Renegade007]

We did it! 90 degrees today! Woo-hooo!!

Heat: Phoenix reaches earliest 90-degree day on record

[elcajones]

Ok seriously, when is this hellish, **** weather going to end. I wanted a bit of time before we are miserably hot everyday. I'm not seeing it in the forecast��. This weather is seriously depressing me badly now.