If you have ever visited Arizona in January and heard a local say they are absolutely freezing while wearing a parka in 60-degree weather, you probably did a double take. That reaction is completely real, and there are solid reasons behind it.
Living in one of the hottest states in the country rewires how your body and brain experience temperature, and what feels mild to someone from Minnesota feels like an arctic blast to a Phoenix resident.
Here are 11 genuine reasons why Arizonans mean every word when they call 60 degrees their version of winter.
1. Your Body Physically Adjusts To Desert Heat
After spending months soaking in triple-digit afternoons, your body recalibrates its entire sense of normal. Phoenix carries a long-term average annual temperature of around 75.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which means your internal thermostat gets locked into a warm baseline that most people in cooler states would never experience…