Phoenix is often thought of as a land of sunshine, but that's not always the case.
Although Phoenix has better weather than most American cities, here are the less-than-ideal weather conditions we deal with:
10.) Fog
If you were in town this weekend, then you found out we apparently get fog.
9.) Heat
In case you haven't figured this one out yet, it gets very warm here. 8.) Even more heat
Phoenix is actually hotter than it should be due to the "heat island effect." It turns out that running air conditioners actually makes the city hotter.
7.) Tornadoes
This doesn't happen often, but the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado in Mesa in May. 6.) Snow
Yes, every so often, it snows.
5.) Cold
Despite what out-of-towners think, it actually does get (relatively) cold here, and the low temperature will sometimes dip below freezing during winter nights. There have also been times when it's been warmer in Anchorage, Alaska, than it has been in Phoenix. 4.) Rain
As we found out this year, it can rain enough in Phoenix to cause widespread flooding -- enough to put cars underwater on the Interstate.
3.) Microbursts
According to the National Weather Service, "A microburst is a downdraft (sinking air) in a thunderstorm that is less than 2.5 miles in scale. Some microbursts can pose a threat to life and property, but all microbursts pose a significant threat to aviation. Although microbursts are not as widely recognized as tornadoes, they can cause comparable, and in some cases, worse damage than some tornadoes produce. In fact, wind speeds as high as 150 mph are possible in extreme microburst cases."
These hit the Phoenix area every so often. 2.) Dust storms
Good for photographers, not so great for drivers.
1.) Monsoons
Despite the image of Phoenix having great weather, we have an entire season dedicated to monsoons.
Follow Valley Fever on Twitter at @ValleyFeverPHX. Follow Matthew Hendley at @MatthewHendley.
