Who really enjoys the heat in Phoenix? (Flagstaff, Payson: ski resort, live in)

[locolife]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

Phoenix is fine if you have money to take vacations to get breaks from the heat. It can be miserable if you're always there, especially if you live in a dense part of Phoenix.

As for dry heat, Phoenix doesn't have a monopoly on that. It gets pretty dry here in California, too. From earlier today:


Second hottest city in ca 7 day forecast. 1st is Bakersfield, Fresno is 2nd(I don't consider palm springs to be a city, it's a resort town to me) Riverside and San Bernardino are even cooler than those two cities. There are levels to dry heat

Wouldn't you say having enough money to travel makes any city fine? Other than coastal California what places don't have a season where people are looking to travel and break things up? Phoenix/Arizona is home to countless snowbirds who do this every winter from all of the country and Canada.

You don't need a lot of money to drive up to Rim Country for a hike/lunch/dinner, Preskitt or Flag where it's 20-30 degrees cooler than Phoenix. Arizona has been fairly humid to start this summer, with many areas of the state recording.

[go09]

Originally Posted by singlegirlinaz

Let's say you don't have access to a swimming pool or misters or your car isn't air-conditioned, I want to know who honestly and truly likes being outdoors when it's between 100-120?

I don't love the high temps, but I can endure it when the sun isn't glaring down at me. Therefore, if I want to hike I'll do it at sunset rather than sunrise. It may be hotter, but it will feel much better!

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by dontbelievehim

As for dry heat, Phoenix doesn't have a monopoly on that. It gets pretty dry here in California, too.

Las Vegas could easily be the U.S. city most known for dry heat. Their summer temperatures nearly match Phoenix's many times, and their average summer humidity is as follows:
June 16.5%
July 21.1%
August 25.6%
September 25.0%

While Phoenix is dry compared to many other cities, it's still more humid than Vegas, as seen by our summer humidity averages:
June 19.4%
July 31.6%
August 36.2%
September 35.6%

The main reason for this is pretty obvious: our location is in the path of the summer monsoonal flow. Vegas is on the western edge of this seasonal pattern & does get a few storms, but it's mostly hot & dry there during the summer. Phoenix also has higher humidity values during the winter, and more rain on average than Vegas. Again, it has a lot to do with location, and the proximity of the mountains that block much of the moisture there.

[timothyaw]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Las Vegas could easily be the U.S. city most known for dry heat. Their summer temperatures nearly match Phoenix's many times, and their average summer humidity is as follows:
June 16.5%
July 21.1%
August 25.6%
September 25.0%

While Phoenix is dry compared to many other cities, it's still more humid than Vegas, as seen by our summer humidity averages:
June 19.4%
July 31.6%
August 36.2%
September 35.6%

The main reason for this is pretty obvious: our location is in the path of the summer monsoonal flow. Vegas is on the western edge of this seasonal pattern & does get a few storms, but it's mostly hot & dry there during the summer. Phoenix also has higher humidity values during the winter, and more rain on average than Vegas. Again, it has a lot to do with location, and the proximity of the mountains that block much of the moisture there.

Excellent post and you're exactly right on all those points. Las Vegas is the driest large city in America. While we got a very wet monsoon last year, I looked it up and they only got 1.86" all year.

Nevada is also the driest state in the nation, which I think is due to the towering Sierra Nevada mountain range in California that has a lot to do with that.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by locolife

my old coach used to tell us "excuses are like a**holes, everybody has one"

... and they stink! This is one of my favorite expressions because it has a lot of truth behind it. Speaking of excuses, the city of Phoenix sure makes its share of them. They canceled all the fireworks shows this year, giving the reason that supply chain issues have affected access to fireworks. Obviously, this is nothing but a b.s. excuse ... because a little town called Las Vegas approximately 300 miles NW of here is having some pretty spectacular fireworks shows. Apparently, the "supply chain" issue didn't affect the Plaza Hotel, or various locations along the Strip.

https://www.vegas.com/holidays-in-las-vegas/july-4th/

Originally Posted by timothyaw

Excellent post and you're exactly right on all those points. Las Vegas is the driest large city in America. While we got a very wet monsoon last year, I looked it up and they only got 1.86" all year.

Nevada is also the driest state in the nation, which I think is due to the towering Sierra Nevada mountain range in California that has a lot to do with that.

Many people are surprised to learn that the Sonoran Desert is one of the wettest deserts on earth, and how we have two distinct rainy seasons every year. One reason for this is the Gulf of California. Pacific storms can be weakened as they move further inland, but if they move far enough south & tap into that additional Gulf moisture, we can get heavy rains during the winter months. And of course, it also has a way of enhancing the summer monsoon. Vegas, and Nevada in general, are often cut off from moisture surges from both the Pacific and the Gulf of CA.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

... and they stink! This is one of my favorite expressions because it has a lot of truth behind it. Speaking of excuses, the city of Phoenix sure makes its share of them. They canceled all the fireworks shows this year, giving the reason that supply chain issues have affected access to fireworks. Obviously, this is nothing but a b.s. excuse ... because a little town called Las Vegas approximately 300 miles NW of here is having some pretty spectacular fireworks shows. Apparently, the "supply chain" issue didn't affect the Plaza Hotel, or various locations along the Strip.

https://www.vegas.com/holidays-in-las-vegas/july-4th/

Yes, they do stink haha.


I suppose you mean the city of Phoenix canceled it's show(s)? There was not shortage of them in the valley as a whole but I was bummed Phoenix and Tempe didn't have them this year.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by locolife

I suppose you mean the city of Phoenix canceled it's show(s)? There was not shortage of them in the valley as a whole but I was bummed Phoenix and Tempe didn't have them this year.

Well, that's the government at work: lots of excuses, but little action. There were a few good displays around the metro area, but what I'm bummed about the most is why more private businesses didn't step in and have fireworks. There could have easily been spectacular shows in downtown Phoenix, or on Mill Avenue if more businesses took an interest in making it happen. But I guess people would rather have Vegas continuously shine in the spotlight, and forget Phoenix.

[dontbelievehim]

Originally Posted by locolife

Wouldn't you say having enough money to travel makes any city fine? Other than coastal California what places don't have a season where people are looking to travel and break things up? Phoenix/Arizona is home to countless snowbirds who do this every winter from all of the country and Canada.

You don't need a lot of money to drive up to Rim Country for a hike/lunch/dinner, Preskitt or Flag where it's 20-30 degrees cooler than Phoenix. Arizona has been fairly humid to start this summer, with many areas of the state recording.

True. But other cities have quicker escapes than Phoenix.
Sacramento has placerville(similar weather to presquit) and Napa nearby

Bakersfield has tehachipi(similar weather to presquit) 40+ mins away.

Fresno has shaver lake 55+ mins away(better weather than presquit)

Edit: Vegas has mt Charleston

Less time on the road means more daytrip opportunities.

And that's just versus Phoenix. You gotta drive even more when you live in a fancy burb like giblert.

Also, because temps are cooler in the summer, you don't get as angry if you miss out on a trip.

Theres pros and cons everywhere, but Phoenix's biggest con is that long summer. It's the elephant in the room, i don't know how one can downplay it with a straight face.

Edit: AZ is probably a top ten state for beauty. I'd probably put that as it's biggest asset. That unique beauty doesn't get enough mention for some reason.

[SAN_Man]

Originally Posted by locolife

Spot on post. Lazy, unwilling to even attempt adjusting to something different, a good excuse for not going for your run or hike or walk.... my old coach used to tell us "excuses are like a**holes, everybody has one" Summers are HOT in most places, you'll here people complain about it everywhere.


I also think being nearby California causes people here to feel like we're somehow getting the short end of the stick, when the reality is everyone that doesn't live in coastal California gets some kind of unpleasant weather which is the majority of this nation's population.

Accurate post.

Whenever I drive through the Inland Empire in Riverside/San Bernardino counties, I've always wondered why in the actual hell would anybody live here when they could live in Metro Phoenix a couple hours to the east?!? Riverside MSA is similar in size to Phoenix, however Phoenix has less traffic, more entertainment options, is cleaner, newer and more affordable, oh yeah and lower taxes in AZ.

The traffic in the Inland Empire is awful. It's downwind from the rest of LA and up against 14,000 foot mountains making the air pollution incredibly bad, the worst air quality in metro LA is found here. You can only see the mountain peaks because they rise above the smog...oh yeah and it's hot! Not quite as hot as Palm Springs which is a little to the east, but it's routinely above 100 throughout most of the summer months and fall. Riverside MSA has all the urban grit and problems, but without the entertainment options due to it's proximity to LA/OC. If you want to see the Lakers play, that could take you 2 hours to get to the Staples Center, not exactly close.

[singlegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by SAN_Man

Accurate post.

Whenever I drive through the Inland Empire in Riverside/San Bernardino counties, I've always wondered why in the actual hell would anybody live here when they could live in Metro Phoenix a couple hours to the east?!? Riverside MSA is similar in size to Phoenix, however Phoenix has less traffic, more entertainment options, is cleaner, newer and more affordable, oh yeah and lower taxes in AZ.

The traffic in the Inland Empire is awful. It's downwind from the rest of LA and up against 14,000 foot mountains making the air pollution incredibly bad, the worst air quality in metro LA is found here. You can only see the mountain peaks because they rise above the smog...oh yeah and it's hot! Not quite as hot as Palm Springs which is a little to the east, but it's routinely above 100 throughout most of the summer months and fall. Riverside MSA has all the urban grit and problems, but without the entertainment options due to it's proximity to LA/OC. If you want to see the Lakers play, that could take you 2 hours to get to the Staples Center, not exactly close.

Riverside and San Bernardino are really just big eastern LA suburbs, not true cities like Phoenix is.

Phoenix is like a smaller scaled-down LA with manicured palm trees. All the big city things can be done here that can't be found in the inland empire.

You're right about air pollution, it's worse in the inland empire, but traffic is just as bad in Phoenix and the heat is much worse. The inland empire gets some of the coastal weather but it's just hot all summer in the Phoenix valley.