Most people that live in ArizonaArizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') |
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. |
have moved here from somewhere else, from somewhere
colder (let's face it, everywhere is colder). They come here with the
notion of enjoying the near-perfect weather, that the summer heat is much
easier to withstand than the cold and the snow. And for the most part,
they're right.
But here's what normally happens. Someone
lives in an area back east with normal winter temperatures of 30F degrees,
so that for a few months it's pretty much always below freezing. They
move to Phoenix and fall in love with the mid-60s winter weather. However,
when their second year comes around, 60F degrees isn't so comforting anymore.
In fact, it's starting to feel as cold as 30F degrees did back home.
What's going on?
When you're in warm conditions, your blood
vessels expand and move closer to the surface of the skin so that they
can dissipate more heat. But in colder conditions, they move away from
the surface in an attempt to conserve heat. In the warmer places of ArizonaArizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') |
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. |
, your
body will generally tend to give off heat because it's often fairly warm
out. When your body has been doing this activity for a long period of
time, it becomes accustomed to it; so much so that you're blood vessels
are dissipating heat even in the "cold" weather when they should be conserving
it, thereby making you feel cold.
In essence, by moving
to ArizonaArizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') |
The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. |
for our wonderful weather, you've become a softy like the rest of us,
and your body is no longer accustomed to the cold. Ger ready to break
out your heavy coat when the temperature falls into the 40s at night.