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Heat in the US southwest/Mexico Heat in the US southwest/Mexico
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Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



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  #1  
Old 22 May 2010
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Heat in the US southwest/Mexico
FYI, The temperatures are rising in the US southwest deserts and south into Mexico (i.e. Baja).
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  #2  
Old 22 May 2010
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Are you sure you didn't intend to state an actual temperature or two? Stating that they are "rising" doesn't really help much. It's late spring, and "rising" temps are more or less par for the course.

I won't be there til July, maybe August. If you post at that time stating it's "hot" in the desert Southwest, expect me to ask for clarification promptly.

Mark

(from a few blocks north of the equator, Macapa Brazil)
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Old 23 May 2010
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Originally Posted by markharf View Post
...
I won't be there til July, maybe August.
...
Traversing last year from Austin, TX to San Diego, CA on I-10, I experienced temps as high as 108 degrees F by the end of June, for what it's worth...
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Old 23 May 2010
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July & August in the southwestern USA/northern Mexico bring temperatures well above 100*F (sometimes not dropping below 100 for a month or more), but with very low humidity. At this point, the air blast is like opening the oven door on a roast; it becomes less comfortable to have mesh or open vents on your riding gear. Also, sweat will rapidly evaporate from your skin, and you won't even know you're sweating all of the liquid out of your body. Watch the shade of your urine at rest stops. If it is anything but clear, drink more water.

The temperatures are also regulated by altitude. The Colorado Plateau is a geologically uplifted landmass that is roughly centered on the intersection of the AZ/UT/CO/NM borders. It contains high deserts country, which is just as dry as the lower desert, but can be cooler by 10 or more degrees F. Fortunately the Colo Plateau also contains some of the visual, geological and cultural gems of the southwestern US: Grand Canyon, southern Utah's "red rock country", Mesa Verde in Colorado, and the beginnings of the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico.
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Old 3 Jun 2010
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Mexico
I rode from Guadalajara straight North yesterday and at one point the temp got up to 45 degrees C, or over 113 F. It was well over 40C (104+F) most of the way. Luckily I ride with a mesh ventilated jacket, but I was still boiling.

Chris
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  #6  
Old 3 Jun 2010
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..... the temp got up to 45 degrees C, or over 113 F. It was well over 40C (104+F) most of the way. Luckily I ride with a mesh ventilated jacket, but I was still boiling.

Chris

In other words good motorcycle riding weather with no chance of frostbite
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Old 10 Jun 2010
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53 degrees Centigrade
On riding from Nogales, Mexico to Los Angeles, CA last Sunday it got up to 53 degrees Centigrade or 127.4 degrees F. It dropped over 50 degrees upon arrivel in LA. I was worried about a blow out.
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  #8  
Old 11 Aug 2010
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Too hot to ride...
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Old 11 Aug 2010
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Contrary to all of the above posts and to my own expectations.....I just rode up through Central America, Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Idaho and Montana. Temps on the Central American/Mexican coast were hot and humid with rain every day cooling things down. Into the highlands to escape the heat--still afternoon downpours, but cooler all around.

Through the southwestern deserts--hot during the day, but again rain most days cooling things off, and surprisingly humid whether or not it was actually raining. Note that humidity is all relative, and "humid" in Utah is nothing like as brutal as "humid" in Panama. At low elevations temps in the shade ran up into the lower 100's (40C), which was tolerable as long as I was moving. Higher elevations, which includes most areas, were basically fine. Rain was at times blindingly intense, with as much lightning as I've ever seen in my life.

Worst heat was in lower-elevation Nevada and Idaho, which is also where the landscapes are most boring. Still, I saw only upper 90's and lower 100's (35-40C), which is not so had given lower relative humidity.

Hope that helps.
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