Phoenix Temperatures

Here’s some interesting information — supported by actual pictures of temperature of surfaces near our home in Ahwatukee (Phoenix, AZ) — that shows just how hot the pavement can be.

Our buddy Dan was up this weekend from Tucson, and he was concerned yesterday that his International Scout was experiencing high engine temperature on the way up. After our usual discussion of potential causes and troubleshooting techniques, we both got to wondering just how hot is the asphalt when the ambient air temperature is 109° as it was today.

I did a little web searching and found this article.  I decided to conduct my own temperature investigation.

Air temperature at 4pm was 109.4° on my outdoor gauge from one station, while the other reported slightly higher at 110°.

Next, I grabbed my infrared temperature measurer and headed outside. The concrete walkway in front of the house registered 149.5°.

Then the asphalt roadway just in front of the the driveway registered 153.1°.

Then the tar strips – where they seal the cracks in the asphalt – were 161.6°!

The cobblestone area in front of the house was 137.8°.

Other interesting readings included the front yard. At 99.5°, it was about 10 degrees lower than the ambient air temperature.  I read on one site that evaporation and insulation of the ground by the vegetation can help the ground be actually cooler than the surrounding air.

Then out back, the “cool deck” wasn’t so cool, at 120°.

Though the “cool deck in the shade” was a bit more comfortable at 101.3°, just a tad above the ambient air temperature.

Finally, the pool surface temperature was still a bit chilly at 71.0°.

Conclusion: it’s hot!!!! Except too cold to go swimming.

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