The Mystery of Phoenix Northgate

Aug 24, 2014

You might think that North Phoenix, with its suburban tract housing and its shopping centers and strip malls, might not be a very interesting place. But within the confines of suburbia lies a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.

I'm talking about a place called Phoenix Northgate - a massive chunk of vacant land located near 19th Avenue and Bell Road, directly across the street from Turf Paradise.

Why Is Phoenix So Hot?

Aug 10, 2014

Phoenix is famous for its scorching hot temperatures during the summer. Between June and August, the daily high temperatures can be over 110°F (43°C) for several days in a row.

So, why is Phoenix so hot? There are a variety of natural and man-made factors.

NATURAL FACTORS

1. No Sea Breeze
This might seem kind of obvious, but I'm going to cover it anyway. Many of America's major cities are coastal cities. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, NYC, Miami, and Chicago are all located near large bodies of water. The effect of wind blowing across the water provides a year-round cooling effect called a Sea Breeze. Because Phoenix is not located near any large bodies of water, the city does not receive this natural cooling effect.

2. Low Elevation
Another factor in a city's temperature is its elevation. Phoenix is about 1,080' above sea level. Compare that with cities like Las Vegas (elev. 2,030'), Salt Lake City (elev. 4,327'), Denver (elev. 5280'), or Albuquerque (5,312'). Lower elevations typically have higher temperatures because there is more air above them, which increases the atmospheric pressure.

3. Close to the Equator
You may recall from high school geography class that the world is divided into a system of vertical and horizontal lines called Latitude and Longitude.

Phoenix is relatively close to the Equator, at just 33°N Latitude. Las Vegas is at 36°N, Salt Lake City is at 40°N, Chicago is at 41°N and Minneapolis is at 45°N. (Keep in mind, the North Pole is at 90°N).

Near the Equator, Earth's atmosphere is very thin. This allows more of the sun's energy to be absorbed by the earth. Higher elevations are more protected against the atmosphere and thus have cooler temperatures.

4. Down in the Valley
Phoenix is located in the Salt River Valley - a low spot surrounded by mountains. These mountains block the wind and rain that would ordinarily be transported by a current of fast-moving air called the sub-tropical Jet Stream. Because of our natural barriers, Phoenix has over 300 days of sunshine per year.                                          

MAN-MADE FACTORS
 
5. The Heat Island Effect
Some of the factors in Phoenix's notoriously hot temperatures are due to man-made causes. One of these is the heat island effect.

Much of the city is paved with concrete and asphalt for roads, parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks. Pavement stores and retains the heat from the sun. What this means is that after the sun goes down, overnight low temperatures do not drop much as they would in an unpaved area.

So there you have it: five reasons why Phoenix is such a hot city during the summer.

Also, please remember that this article covers the climate of Phoenix. Other cities in Arizona including Flagstaff and Show Low have all four seasons.

ValTrans: An Idea Ahead of Its Time

Aug 3, 2014

Phoenix is a large metropolitan city with a population of about 4.1 million people. When you compare Phoenix to similar cities like Boston (4.6 million people) and Atlanta (5.5 million people), they have something we do not: a large-scale mass-transit system.

There is a reason for this: Phoenix is a much larger city geographically than these other cities. The greater Boston area is about 4,676 square miles while Atlanta is about 8,376 square miles. Phoenix, by comparison, is a staggering 16,573 square miles - more than double the size of Atlanta with a million fewer residents!

10 Things to Get Over About Phoenix

Jul 28, 2014

I got the idea for this post after reading an article on BuzzFeed called "10 Things to Get Over About Los Angeles" and realizing that many of the same complaints about LA could also apply to Phoenix. Well, here's my list of 10 Things to Get Over About Phoenix.


1. The Heat
Phoenix gets ridiculously hot with summer temperatures hitting as high as 120°F (49°C). And as the locals are quick to point out, it's a DRY heat. The air is not thick and muggy like in other parts of the country. The low relative humidity actually helps the human body cool itself more effectively (read more).

While the heat may be brutal, it must not be that unbearable if 4.2 million people are willing to live here. There are ways to adapt to the heat including air conditioning, evaporative cooling, wearing light-colored and loose-fitting clothing, drinking lots of water, and staying in the shade. Yes it gets scorchingly hot during the summer, but over 4 million people make it work and you can, too.

What's the Deal with WinCo Foods?

Jul 14, 2014

Savvy Phoenix shoppers may have noticed a new chain of grocery stores popping up around town. WinCo Foods is a new player in a landscape that has been dominated by Safeway, Albertson's, Wal-Mart, Food City, and Fry's.

So here's the lowdown on WinCo Foods: t
he company was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Prior to 1999, they were known as Waremart Food Centers.   

Their first store opened in Phoenix in 2012. They have 5 valley locations in Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa, and a new one in Gilbert.

If you are thinking about checking them out, there are a couple of things you should know about WinCo Foods:



 

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