Man It's a Hot One

Like seven inches from the midday sun.*

For real.

 

Fahrenheit / Celsius

and I should have done these screen shots last week when it was 118°

We know it’s coming every year – the brutal heat of an Arizona summer – but still we are always shocked by the intensity. Every summer we claim that it’s worse than the year before, and every year we make our way through the scorching days by dreaming of the beautiful fall and winter months just around the corner.

 

Many of my out-of-state and international friends have asked how we cope, and I’ve been thinking about a way to answer that question. I suppose we just do what we have to do to get through each day – much like those of you that live in snow and ice cold temps in the winter. It’s not your ideal weather choice, but it’s home and that’s what you deal with.

When you live in the desert there are things you just get used to in the hot summer months. Things like low energy, grumpy/irritable dispositions, and decreased appetites. No one is making beef stew or chili in these parts, and we avoid using the oven as much as possible. And while cooking outside on the grill seems like a groovy thing to do, that doesn’t happen in these parts either. The last thing Doug wants to do is stand next to a hot grill when the outside temps are in excess of 110°!

{Unknown source. If it's yours please let me know and I'll give proper credit.}

Animals left outdoors during the day suffer and search for shade and/or wet dirt {hence our Lucky dog’s excessive digging lately}. Our automatic sprinkler system waters twice a day instead of once, and other outdoor plants get an extra dose of water when we remember.

You never realize how much exposed metal is in a car until you live through an Arizona summer. It heats up and can burn your skin when touched! A steering wheel left uncovered can be almost impossible to touch, and a car parked in the sun for any length of time can heat up to over 140° - a deathly inferno for pets or small children left in cars. Yes, it happens. So sad!

Doug’s paint truck contents and ladders heat to the point that they can’t be touched without burning him, and regular hydration becomes an absolute necessity. Heat advisories are issued almost daily, warning residents to stay inside and out of the heat. Every summer I beg Doug to turn down the exterior painting jobs, but it never fails that there are some in the mix. Those days are just stifling for him.

Air conditioning units run almost constantly, and AC repair men are in high demand. If/when your unit stops working {and it usually does at some point during the summer}, you want that repair guy there ASAP! And swimming pools aren’t much fun once the water heats up and feels like a warm bath instead of a refreshing dip.

And so we cope by staying indoors as much as possible and making our way through the dog days of summer. Sometime around the end of September we’ll get relief, but until then we’ll be going about our hot business and dreaming of Christmas in July.

Are there any extreme weather conditions where you live?

How do you cope?

*Opening lyrics from Santana's Smooth.