By
Michelle McCollum
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Weather slightly warmer than average, but overall normal for this time of year
Although the heat of summer looms close in UA students' forecasts, for now they are gladly immersing themselves in the balmy temperatures of late March.
Kindra Smith, a Phoenix native, said that while she is used to the heat, she prefers cold weather.
But she has already stopped wishing for winter's return.
"I know it's not going to get colder, it's just going to get hotter and hotter and hotter," said Smith, a psychology freshman. "But the natural light is better than being in the dorm room."
The high temperature yesterday was 82 degrees, seven degrees higher than the average for this week during March. National Weather Service meteorologist Richard Vaness said this weather is typical during springtime.
"We are in a real transition time at this time of the year," Vaness said. "The weather pattern has shifted so the low pressure systems from the Pacific that brought the clouds and precipitation and low temperatures we got over the winter are gone."
A high pressure system now hovers over Tucson, bringing normal spring temperatures characteristic of the American desert, which oscillate around 75 degrees, Vaness said. He added that since it is springtime, the systems move faster and thus are more easily broken up and changed.
Vaness also said the temperature may feel hotter than the thermometer says because at this time of year, the sun is at a higher angle and therefore has a higher intensity.
The high pressure, when combined with the sun's angle, creates warmer-feeling temperatures.
The record high for this date was set in 1988, when the mercury smashed through the average to hit 94 degrees. And while such an extreme is not very likely today, "we won't see (temperatures) going down in the '60s again," Vaness said.
Those temperatures aren't deterring students from spending time outside.
Whether to chat under shade trees or work on a tan in the full sun of the UA Mall, students say they hope to take advantage of the weather before the sweltering 100-degree days of summer roll around.
Sarah Parton, an anthropology and dance senior, said the warm weather makes the students "a little lighter. Everyone has access to a swimming pool, so it's not like death."
"I just hope people appreciate this weather," she added. "It's pretty easy for us to get into our schedules and not really appreciate it, but we are so lucky to live in a place without major weather issues."
