Moved to Phoenix from Philly when I was 10.
I have one very vivid memory from the day we arrived. About 30 minutes out the pilot had announced in one of those classic southern drawls commercial airline pilots seem to have that the temp in Phoenix was a warm 97 degrees. (It had been something like mid 60's that day when we boarded the plane in Philly.)
Back then you boarded and exited airplanes via a staircase located on the tarmac.
I remember walking down the stairs, taking a few steps on the tarmac, and feeling the desert for the first time. It wasn't unbearable but for about the first 30 seconds, because I could hear jet engines, I thought that the heat was because we were on the tarmac and somehow jet engines were blowing hot air on us.
But as we walked to the baggage claim area -- which was outside back then -- I realized that jet engines had nothing to do with it and what I was feeling wasn't about to go away any time soon.
Btw, 97 (the temp that first day) is nothing. I recall a couple of days where it got so hot they actually had to shut the airport down because the insurance carriers would only cover an air disaster up to a certain temp (120 I think it was.)
Lived in Phoenix for about 35 years and am in San Diego as I type this.
Just took these screenshots a few minutes ago -- tale of two cities:
Phoenix weather:
http://www.jcapper.com/messageboard/...17-1552hrs.jpg
San Diego weather:
http://www.jcapper.com/messageboard/...17-1354hrs.jpg
-jp
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