Are Sacramento summers comparable to those of Tucson's in terms of duration and intensity? (Stockton: 2014, trees)

[Pacifico]

Anyone with first hand knowledge? I guess I'm trying to convince myself the summer season in Tucson is not all that bad...

[Majin]

No

[fresnofresno]

Durability: no

Intensity: Tucson record high 117
Sacramento record high 115

[Chimérique]

Sacramento averages a solid 10-15 degrees COOLER than Tucson in the warmer/summer months. Both in intensity and duration. Sacramento is 600 miles North of Tucson

Also, Tucson has an actual Humid/Muggy season (July-Sept), the monsoonal season; whereas, Sacramento doesn't even have a humid/muggy season.

Average - Highs and Lows

May - Sacramento averages 10 degrees cooler
Sacramento 81/54
Tucson: 91/64

June - Sacramento averages 13 degrees cooler
Sacramento 88/58
Tucson: 99/72

July - Sacramento averages 15 degrees cooler
Sacramento 93/61
Tucson: 99/76 - heat index average of 2-3 degrees hotter puts Tucson at 102/78

August - Sacramento averages 12 degrees cooler
Sacramento 92/61
Tucson: 97/75 - heat index average of 2-3 degrees hotter puts Tucson at 100/77

Sept - Sacramento averages 12 degrees cooler
Sacramento 88/58
Tucson: 94/71 - heat index average of 2-3 degrees hotter puts Tucson at 96/73

[Chimérique]

Last month (June 2014)

100 degrees or more:

Tucson = 24 days
Sacramento = 4 days

Mornings and Nights below 65 degrees:

Sacramento - 30 days

Sacramento always cooled into the low/mid 50's to low 60's

Tucson - Zero days

Tucson never cooled below 66 degrees. For 24 mornings, the temp stayed warm into the late night, only lowering into the 70's to upper 70's by morning.

[Fiddlehead]

Tucson is quite a bit hotter.

The only mitigating factor might be the monsoons and how they attenuate the solar radiation in late summer. The entire Central Valley will be relentlessly sunny all summer, which can feel even hotter than it is from the lack of any cloud cover. The monsoons create weather and scattered clouds in summer, which can make it feel a bit less harsh. However, the increased humidity pulls up the night temps a lot, and so would make it pretty humid. The Tucson summer monsoon is pretty cool, but I would say it does not do enough to mitigate the big difference in both summer intensity and duration.

[Chimérique]

Originally Posted by Fiddlehead

Tucson is quite a bit hotter.

The only mitigating factor might be the monsoons and how they attenuate the solar radiation in late summer. The entire Central Valley will be relentlessly sunny all summer, which can feel even hotter than it is from the lack of any cloud cover. The monsoons create weather and scattered clouds in summer, which can make it feel a bit less harsh. However, the increased humidity pulls up the night temps a lot, and so would make it pretty humid. The Tucson summer monsoon is pretty cool, but I would say it does not do enough to mitigate the big difference in both summer intensity and duration.

Yes, I agree Tucson is quite a bit hotter, 10-15 degrees hotter on average but I'd like to make an important distinction.

You are talking about the Central Valley, but Sacramento is not the entire Central Valley.

Sacramento proper and most of the county has a distinct COOLER overall average than the rest of the Central Valley in the summer.

Sacramento heat indexes are 3-5 degrees COOLER than the actual temp on average in the 3 months of summer despite any lack of cloud cover. Whereas, Tucson's heat indexes are HOTTER 2-3 degrees on average during their monsoonal season.

Sacramento City has a lot of large leafy trees that provide a significant amount of Shade; Tucson has nothing comparable.

The Delta Breeze provides the most cooling, more often, and with more consistency upon Sacramento than any other city in the Central Valley.

[fresnofresno]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

Yes, I agree Tucson is quite a bit hotter, 10-15 degrees hotter on average but I'd like to make an important distinction.

You are talking about the Central Valley, but Sacramento is not the entire Central Valley.

Sacramento proper and most of the county has a distinct COOLER overall average than the rest of the Central Valley in the summer.

Sacramento heat indexes are 3-5 degrees COOLER than the actual temp on average in the 3 months of summer despite any lack of cloud cover. Whereas, Tucson's heat indexes are HOTTER 2-3 degrees on average during their monsoonal season.

Sacramento City has a lot of large leafy trees that provide a significant amount of Shade; Tucson has nothing comparable.

The Delta Breeze provides the most cooling, more often, and with more consistency upon Sacramento than any other city in the Central Valley.

Wouldn't Stockton have better weather since it sits right on the delta?

[fresnofresno]

The last 3 days and the next 3, Sacramento is/was hotter than Tucson in day time highs.

[Skeksil]

Sacramento easily had better summers in my experience. The biggest difference in 'feel' for me, is the overnight lows. The highs don't seem/feel as bad if it at least cools off nicely at night like it does in Sac. Plus, I'm not a fan of the monsoons.