Arizona is hot, I mean really hot

On June 26, 1990 during the hottest part of the day, we all went outside to stand in the sun to see what 122 degrees F. (50 degrees C.) felt like. This was the record hot temperature for Phoenix, Arizona, although most of us believe that the temperature actually gets hotter because they changed the method of measuring the temperature. Some of us believe that the change in method was done to avoid discouraging tourists. To quote Wikipedia:

Phoenix has an arid climate, with very hot summers and temperate winters. The average summer high temperature is among the hottest of any populated area in the United States and approaches those of cities such as Riyadh and Baghdad. The temperature reaches or exceeds 100°F (38°C) on an average of 110 days during the year, including most days from early June through early September, and highs top 110 °F (43 °C) an average of 18 days during the year.

Phoenix is the largest of many cities in and around the Salt River Valley also known, appropriately, as the Valley of the Sun. Having lived here most of my life, I was a senior in high school before we ever had air conditioning other than an evaporative cooler or swamp cooler as it was and is known. We used to go barefoot all over town. We would stand on the grass at the edge of the streets, get up our courage, and then run across the hot asphalt. We would then stand on another patch of grass until our feet stopped hurting from the heat. I guess it never occurred to us to wear shoes, that would have been too easy.

Phoenix is getting larger every year. It is now the fifth largest city in the United States and would probably shrink back to oblivion if the air conditioning ever stopped running. One of the running jokes in Phoenix is that it is a dry heat. Most of the country has a lot of humidity and 110 degrees would kill off the population. Anyone who thinks Phoenix is dry hasn't been here. One of the most common methods of watering plants is flood irrigation. What that means is that the underground pipes spill thousands of gallons of water into huge basins constructed around grassy areas. Your whole neighborhood can resemble a swamp. The desert around Phoenix may be dry, but with the canals and flood irrigation, it is not comfortable at any time the temperature goes above 115 degrees.

People come here for the jobs and the climate. Nine months of the year it is great and the whole summer is great, especially if you have access to a swimming pool and a lot of cold water. It is still almost impossible for me to pass a drinking fountain without getting a drink. That was a survival tactic when I was young and it is a hard habit to break.