Having grown up in Phoenix, I’ve heard it all my life: Phoenix may be hot, but it’s a dry heat. It’s a phrase that’s been the butt of many jokes and much laughter. Life, however, will have it’s own little jokes and teaches us that there is, perhaps, some real meaning to these words.
We recently spent a week in San Diego doing the tourist thing — visiting SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The temperature, in the mid 80’s to high 90’s, was a welcome change from Phoenix’s 110-115 degree days — or so we thought at first. Although the temperature was a lower, the humidity was much much higher. I found myself sweating profusely to no affect. Everything we wore became soggy and sticky. In short, we were miserable.
In Phoenix, the temperature climbed to 114 our first day back. This being our Monsoon season, the humidity was also high … for Phoenix. Relative to San Diego, our humidity is practically non-existent. Something we’re used to and can deal with.
Yeah, it may be hot in Phoenix, but it’s a dry heat!