Ever wondered what it would be to live in a city that is so hot, that it literally forces people do go to lengths, just to live a normal life? A city that has a climate so sweltering, that one can cook food outside when it is the peak of summer? And lastly, a city that is legendary for being one of the hottest places on planet Earth? That's right; we're talking of Phoenix, Arizona!
Phoenix is known all over the world for the temperatures that the city has recorded over the years. This seems uncharacteristic of a place in North America, a region that is considered colder than the Middle east, where the real heat lies.
Without a doubt, Phoenix is one of the hottest places, if not the absolute hottest, and especially if you exclude active volcanoes and gardens after a redneck barbecue goes awry! That's when things really get heated and extremely fiery in nature.
You know a city is hot when it records the average daytime summer temperatures in the hundreds. This is exactly what Phoenix does, especially during the hotter periods of summer, when the heat exceeds 110 degrees. That is insane heat!
Alright, so any natural heat can be withstood if it is not too dry or too humid. In both cases, the human body begins to rebel against the circumstances and begins to break down. Phoenix, by chance, has dry, scorching heat.
Dry heat is among the worst kinds, seeing as it can cause water to evaporate very quickly, and the skin to burn upon prolonged exposure. People have been known to burn to a crisp in this heat, which makes it all the worse.
Chapped lips are painful, without a doubt. This is compounded by the fact that those with dry skin are even more at risk of the chapped lips worsening into damaged and bloody lips. All because of dry and scorching heat.
This begs the question then of how do people manage to live out the extreme heat, and function normally despite the burning temperatures. Surprisingly, not only do they manage to live, but the city is still alive and well on the existential front!
Although the people manage to live it out, the heat is not without its detractors, and live does suffer a lot when it gets REALLY hot in Phoenix. Following are some of the REALLY negative aspects of the sizzling Phoenix heat.
The heat has been known to stop planes from taking off and functioning, out of fear of mechanical failure due to the heat. Entire airports have been shut down due to this, both in the past and recently. Very Inconvenient.
This is a normal occurrence, especially when people do not heed the advice given by medical experts, and venture out of their homes in the extreme heat. Dehydration and heat stroke are commonplace during such times in the sweltering city.
This is expected, especially when the sun shines as hard as it does in Phoenix, and the entirety of Arizona really. But melting at such a scale is unprecedented. Well, not in Phoenix, to be honest. The city is used to melting stuff.
When it melts, it really melts! Weird saying, but not so weird for the residents of Phoenix, who regularly find plastic and rubber items to have melted and become disfigured, or completely destroyed during the course of a single day.
It used to be an urban myth that you could cook an egg in the Arizona heat. But that was before social media came on to the scene, and people started to share pictures and videos of eggs cooking when placed outside.
Our furry friends are suffering big time from the massive heat, which is even worse if they still have thick fur. This is a time when animal rescue and veterinary services are the busiest, rescuing animals from the terrible heat.
The heat is not going to go away for a very long while, since winter is still a month or two off... This requires that you be as careful as you can when venturing outside. Stay hydrated and keep those air conditioners running.
