“If you could live anywhere regarding your passion for all things weather related specifically, where would you want to be?”

“If you could live anywhere regarding your passion for all things weather related specifically, where would you want to be?”

I was proposed this thoughtful question recently. Admittedly, the question at first had my mind quickly chasing supercell thunderstorms in Tornado Alley and then afterwards searching for all matter of weather extremes I know exist on our planet. Then after the initial adrenaline settled imagining such thought-provoking environments, the realization came that I genuinely enjoy the comings and goings of the variety of weather phenomena passing through my present backyard, the state of Arizona.

I value how this part of the world possesses the geographic circumstances encapsulating a wide spectrum of possible weather observations. Climatologically, Arizona really is a microcosm of Earth’s potential climate having elevations ranging from near sea level to over 12,600 feet (3,800 meters) with days experiencing dry heat, muggy heat, bitter cold, windy conditions, stagnation, prolonged drought followed by periods of significant valley rains and mountain snowfall, monsoon thunderstorms, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, dust storms, urban heat islands, tornado outbreaks, tropical cyclone influences, mountain-valley wind circulations, sunny skies, cloudy skies, stretches of tranquil weather, fog, dazzling lightning displays, dust devils, microbursts, alpine climates, arid climates, and so on. That’s quite a list and may be found in an area within a few hours driving distance!

I also find Arizona’s climate unique from a psychological perspective. For me, it keeps my love of weather “fresh” by having a wide range of weather over time (hot-cold, dry-wet, sunny-cloudy, tranquil-severe, etc.). The catch is that you might have to wait a bit to experience a certain type of weather, but that only makes you appreciate it more when it inevitably does show! I don’t want to become jaded over the weather as I have heard from others when they lived in a particular region where a strong climate signal dominates the day-to-day weather. Arizona’s climate is a weather “sample pack” and is always one storm away from a local climate record to make things interesting!

Photo Credit: Jonny William Malloy