Arizona Sucks

It would appear as though spring has arrived in the Phoenix area, with daytime high temperatures in the 70-85 degree range for this past week and this trend is expected to continue. The weather, baseball spring training, and a number of local shootings is all we have really been hearing about over the last couple weeks out here. Everyone, as usual, is constantly talking about how nice the weather is going to be and how this is weather worth bragging about to everyone up north and all the usual Arizona nonsense whenever it comes to the climate out here. Quotes such as ‘this is why we live here’ and ‘I’ll put up with the summers for weather like this’ are heard at least five times a day. People in Phoenix just love to talk about the weather and it is brought up more than you could ever imagine. Don’t have an answer or don’t know what to say or just want to hear yourself talk? Bring up the weather – it almost always works in handling any situation you will find yourself in out here.

And I will agree that the month or so of mild temperatures we get during the spring is a nice change of pace from the horrible summers and uncertain winter months we get here in Arizona. However, this one month of spring-like temperatures is just one of about two months of the entire year where I would say the weather in Arizona is even close to approaching the levels of greatness that so many in Arizona brag about YEAR ROUND. It is really only during these couple months of the year that we get nice and mild daytime temperatures, with a pleasant cool down overnight. Days like these just aren’t around for very long out here so you really should try and get in all the hiking, golfing, gardening, washing the cars, barbecuing, and anything else that goes on outdoors while you still can without having to put your life at risk. These days have to be taken advantage of as much as possible in Arizona, because we all know what is right around the corner…

As the temperature keeps on climbing, you can’t help but think about the 100 degree days which are only just a month or so away. Before we know it, everyone will be essentially locked in their homes day-after-day in order to avoid the excessive heat. The five or so months of summer in Arizona gets really old, really quick. Sure, you can drive in any direction and escape the extremes, but you still know it will be waiting for you as soon as you get back. Does anyone else out there view the increasing temperatures as simply a warning sign that the five months of dreadful, blistering, uncomfortable, and depressing weather is on its way?

I’m pretty sure most anywhere can claim they have at least two months of really nice weather a year, and that is without having to endure a seemingly endless summer every year….

It is just about the middle of September, and a quick look at the 10 day forecast for the Phoenix area shows highs over 100 degrees for the next week and a half. Night time lows have finally dipped into the 70s, but it is still quite hot during the days here. A lot of people who get suckered in to moving to Phoenix are often quite shocked when they realize it will still be October, and we are still fighting with temperatures that do top the 100 degree mark. It probably isn’t until near the end of October, that you can really say goodbye to the extreme heat in Arizona for a few months.

A lot of people are use to summers that only average about three months per year. It can be quite frightening when you move here and realize that the summers in Arizona not only last at least two months longer than your typical summer elsewhere, but the summers here are that much hotter and just downright boring. Surviving an Arizona summer year after year is really not something to take lightly – it really does affect the millions of residents out here and it shows especially on the road, at work, in restaurants, and at the store. The summers out here are nothing but vicious and it absolutely will take its toll on you if you choose to suffer through summer after summer out here. Just imagine having to lock yourself indoors for nearly six months a year – it is too out to be outside, and many days it is downright unsafe to be outside. If you have children, you really have no choice but to keep them indoors and many just put them in front of the television all day. Arizona summers tend to bring out the worst in people and just an all around feeling of disgust.

Many outsiders are use to looking forward to summer and the warmer weather, outdoor activities, the summer holidays, and barbecues with family. In Arizona, you pretty much spend your summers stuck inside wanting to blow your head off. And somehow a lot of Arizona residents still think the weather out here is worth bragging about for nine months a year. I know we have a ton of meth heads, alcoholics, and pill poppers in Arizona, but, really, what are these people on?

Have you thought about relocating to Arizona and wondered what the average weather was like through out the year? Or have you moved to Arizona and realized that the summers are a lot longer and hotter than your Arizona Realtor had you believing? Maybe the winters aren’t as warm and comfortable as you imagined? For some reason, whenever people talk about the weather anywhere they love bringing up the average temperatures going month by month. While, average temperatures do in fact give you a vague idea of what to expect, can you really rely on these Arizona average temperatures to tell you the whole story?

Unfortunately, in a place like Arizona that has experienced so much growth and construction and everything else in recent years, you really cannot count on these given temperatures which are often averaged from the daily temperatures over the last 100 years or so. As the Phoenix area blew up into a sprawling mess of concrete, asphalt, strip malls, houses, and plastic people it really solidified hotter days and nights for the entire area. All these buildings, homes, and roadways have no choice but to retain all that heat and energy from the never-ending sunny days, and then this heat is slowly radiated back into the atmosphere. Thus, creating a situation where it ends up even hotter during the day than it ever was in the past and there is no relief when the sun goes down either. The entire Phoenix area has unquestionably become a great deal warmer now than when the area was significantly less populated and built up. What really makes this scenario quite interesting is how the entire Phoenix economy was tied to increased growth – so, just to ensure the city’s survival it meant more buildings, roadways, and houses and with this came the higher temperatures for everyone to enjoy.

If you were to only look at the averages, then Arizona summers suddenly look quite a bit more survivable. Averages would tell you that Arizona summers have highs only in the very low 100s with night time lows hovering around the 80 degree mark. Unfortunately, the truth is that is is getting hotter every summer across the Phoenix area and this past July was the hottest month ever recorded in Arizona. It is now early September, and we are still suffering from temperatures approaching 110 degrees. These summers, you rarely see days where the high temperature is below 105-108 degrees and the number of days where the temperature is over the 110 mark seem to be increasing every year. Night time lows during an Arizona summer are often closer to the uppers 80s with quite a few nights not even getting out of the 90s.

You can’t really put into words just how hot, brutal, and long the summers are in Arizona so if you are thinking about relocating here, you might want to make an extended trip during the peak of summer to see how bad it really is. Whatever you do, don’t simply rely on the average temperatures given to you and certainly don’t move here or anywhere just for the weather.