Poll: Readers welcome fall with open – and sweaty – arms

Readers of InMaricopa are highly intelligent, a fact evidenced by the results of this week’s reader poll.

Nearly 67 percent of the 145 voters this week responded to the question, “Are you excited about the onset of autumn?” by responding, “Yes, maybe it will finally cool off around here.”

About one in five, (19.3 percent) responded, “Autumn? What autumn?” while 9.7 percent said, “Not particularly, it looks and feels like all the other “seasons” here.”

Just 4.1 percent embraced one of autumn’s traditional activities by choosing the response, “A little, at least I can drive to the high country and see autumn color.”

Summer is to Maricopans what winter is to much of the rest of the country – the season to be dreaded.

The Valley averages 93 days per year of 100-degree-plus temperatures according to the National Weather Service. The most 100-degree days in a year was 145, in 2020, and the fewest was just 48, in 1913. The longest stretch of consecutive 100-degree days was 76, from June 10-Aug. 24, 1993.

The most brutal summer ever was just two years ago. Few will forget 2020, when we broke records for the most 95-degree days (172); 100-degree days (145); 105-degree days (102); 110-degree days (53), and 115-degree days (14) in a year.

By comparison, the record for most days with temperatures below zero in one of America’s coldest cities, Chicago, is 25 in the winter of 1884-85.