Did it cook? The answer: In 15 minutes, the cheese had melted into clumps, and the flour tortilla was hardened. But even if the city gets by largely unscathed, this period may well be viewed as the beginning of major changes - ones that are not for the better.Īnd for those of you who have stayed with me this long, let’s not forget about the strange case of the sun-baked quesadilla. So far, city officials and most Phoenix residents, seem to be managing. As of Saturday, it’s 23 straight days of temperatures over 110 degrees forecasts show the extreme heat could continue at least another 10 days. This could be a harbinger of future heat waves, in both Phoenix and around the world. What worries me about this heat wave is that it’s not breaking. That pattern of intense heat and temporary drops held even during 2020, also a record-breaking summer with 53 total days over 110. We repeat the cycle while looking forward to the fall. And we all go back inside and wait it out. We all go outside, particularly in the mornings and late evenings, when temperatures drop enough to be outside and not feel like your body is trapped in an oven.Īfter a few days of partial relief, the intense heat comes back. The drops happen from cooler winds coming in, or intense bursts of rain, called monsoons. But then, from one day to the next, the daily high temperatures will drop to the low 100s or even high 90s (32 to 38 degrees Celsius), which, after days of more intense heat, feels kind of breezy. With good reason: most heat-related deaths in Phoenix are not from people in their homes, but rather people outside.īut for most residents, while the summers are brutal, we get into a flow because the weather has a rhythm.įor several days at a time, the temperatures will top 110 degrees, sometimes into the high teens or get to 120 (49 degrees Celsius). Shelters and cooling centers, which are essentially public buildings like libraries kept open for long hours, are all part of attempts to get them off the streets. Homeless people, a population that has been growing, are particularly exposed. While most people figure out ways to cope, some are left behind. Residents with means take their vacations out of state during the summer, or make weekend trips to Flagstaff, a two-hour drive north where temperatures are about 25 degrees cooler than Phoenix because of the high elevation. People with pools at home take dips early in the morning and at night, as during the day the sun can make the water feel like a jacuzzi. Kids go to trampoline parks, gyms and inside camps. Construction workers do shifts that begin in the middle of the night and finish by the early morning. Biking, hiking, camping and numerous other outdoor activities common during eight months, all but come to a halt. Then the summer comes, and daily life must change drastically. All has been designed in such a way that if feels like one big giant grid. The city and surrounding cities like Mesa, Gilbert, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler - all part of the larger metropolitan area locally referred to as “Valley of the Sun” - are easy to navigate because the land is flat. Sunny, temperatures ranging from 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 29 degrees Celsius) and clear skies. The Arizona desert, filled with giant saguaro cactuses, looming palm trees and menacing terrain, with the powerful sun always beaming above, has a beauty that evokes feelings of freedom and possibility.Įight months a year, Phoenix weather is nothing short of amazing. Many people have a deep desire to be here, which may sound strange to many Americans who know only of the city’s infamous extreme summer heat.
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