Definitely. The only place in the deserts in the US that will be an exception to this is Yuma AZ because it is close to the warm ocean waters to the south of it so it's more humid. But it doesn't have a huge population unlike Houston or Miami.
The desert southwest is very hot during the summer. Yes, it is a dry heat. But if it's 110 degrees F, I don't care if it's dry. That said, a lot of people are fine with Vegas, Phoenix, and so forth. They don't get a lot of bad weather (aside from the summer heat), they can play golf year round, and they just tend to stay somewhere air conditioned during the middle of the day. Not my thing but it is for a lot of people. (And while I don't like Vegas, there are lots of nice locations relatively nearby during the cooler parts of the year.)
I've been to AZ, it has a fairly vibrant outdoor community. The heat looks bad on the numbers but its a dry heat, so your sweat glands can operate at full efficiency, making it not feel so bad. It can be an issue for vulnerable people as well, and of course I can't speak to how that changes with Climate change.
It’s not terrible when it’s 119 in Phoenix. We also have green summer lawns that we water too. We live, the lawns help keep the interior of the city cool, as do the trees.
I’m sure many think it’s illogical to try to live on Phoenix. That’s alright, it’s our choice.
Night desert heat is a... unique experience that I too find enjoyable, but your air conditioner is running 24/7 to keep the house below 80. And in Phoenix, there is not enough night activities and/or legit nightlife to take advantage of pleasant nights as opposed to oppressive days.
Scottsdale or Tempe may be a different story, but then you're driving anyway. Or you do live within walking distance, but then you're no longer paying Phoenix rents.
Having lived in both Florida and Las Vegas, Las Vegas is so much nicer. This might be cliche, but the humidity really does make all the difference. High temps are 20 degrees lower in Florida, but I'd rather stand outside in 110F heat in the desert than 90F in a Florida summer.
Deserts are nice. I prefer low humidity like Salt Lake City, Denver, Reno, or even the bay area (not technically a desert, but pretty dry). Even Seattle has a nice climate since the mountains push the humidity up so high that it rains rather than gets bogged down in the air.
Beijing is technically dry but can get really humid in the summer (dry windless winters, humid windless summers, go figure).
I lived in both Arizona and Texas, and the issue is only supersonically the same. But even given that, I must agree with the spirit of the parent comment remark. Though, having spent some time in both Tucson and Phoenix, I'd strongly argue that the heat island affect just makes a bad situation worse. Replacing concrete with parks is a win virtually 100% of the time in that regard. Not to mention quality of life. The out door shopping in AZ and CA is much more pleasant than that of the strip mall experience.
I found Phoenix in the summer to be uninhabitable for me even decades ago. The fact that ~2 million people live in that area, mostly without being forced to, gives me hope for the survivability of our species on a warming globe.
Just not for my particular genome. My survival strategy was to stay in air conditioned spaces and carefully plan my movements from one such place to another like a astronaut preparing for an EVA.
Phoenix native here. The people who have lived here a long time know how to adjust to the heat. You really have to live “another way”. People who come to town are completely unprepared. It feels like LA weather from October until May, and then suddenly it’s very hot.
You can’t live “normally” when it’s over 115, with a low of 93 at 5 am. There’s tons of unofficial lifestyle rules to survive well. For example before you drive you “cool down your car” by turning on the air conditioning and washing the car by running the hose all over it (even though that water is also hot lol). Cooling off your car that’s been sitting in the hot sun with water allows the air to actually work.
Tons of stuff like that. You need to drink cold water with electrolytes and I find everyone’s diet changes. People eat less, and eat spicier Mexican food and salt.
It’s a real special environment. I personally believe the June July August and first half of Sept heat challenges are worth the desert beauty of the rest of the year.
A desert would be excellent. We lost a Space Shuttle due to humid Florida air leading to condensation, ice, a heavy torn-off chunk of foam, a fractured wing edge, and heat-induced structural failure.
Southern Arizona would work, especially at high altitude. We used to do that, but moved to Florida after Mexico complained about debris crossing the border.
When I was a kid, my family moved to Phoenix. On the drive there, I thought the desert was an awful, brown, blasted wasteland. Later on, I went hiking and camping in the desert, and learned a lot about the desert flora and fauna. Gradually my viewpoint changed and I thought the desert was most beautiful.
My best friend feels exactly as you do. While I agree on the urban aspect, nothing makes me feel better than living in a desert. Yes, it makes my breathing and allergies better, but the real reason is the sense of well-being I get in hot, dry, sparse environments that I get nowhere else. It really is sublime.
Living in Phoenix amounts to becoming a desert animal of sorts-- you prefer to go outside at night. In the day, you sort of scurry from air conditioner to air conditioner.
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