Why El Paso Gets So Hot And What Makes It A Desert

The simple answer is, duh ... we live in a desert. There's more to the crazy El Paso heat than that though. Since you're probably not a mega - geek, I went and found all the answers for you.

Deserts, believe it or not, aren't exactly defined by uber - high temps. The largest desert on Earth is actually Antarctica, where the thermometer can dip all the way to 75 degrees below zero. That's freakin' cold.

Temperature is not at all the deciding factor on what is and is not a desert. It's really all about moisture ... or, the lack thereof ... that determines it.

What Is A Desert?

Climate scientists like me define a desert not by temperature but by how much precipitation it gets – any form of water falling from the sky, whether rain, snow or hail. If an area receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of precipitation a year, it is officially a desert. - theconversation

Why Deserts Stay So Dry

Like selling real estate, location is everything. Almost every desert in the world falls within a "belt" that circles the Earth. It takes up an area about 30 degrees above and below the equator.

That's where Earth gets the most sunlight so, go figure, the most hot air is rising within that belt. Hot air doesn't keep rising though ...

Why Deserts Get So Hot

All that hot air sinks before it can generate any clouds and the clouds are kind of a barrier between us and Mr. Sun. With fewer of them in that band, the areas below take a more direct hit from the sun.

Specific heat - That's a fancy, scientific way of saying things heat up at different rates. Water takes a while but rocks, sand, concrete, etc heat up super quick and we have a ton of that stuff around here.

Finally, "reverse rain". That's what I call it anyway. (I like to keep things simple.) Plants release water which cools the area around them a bit. It's natures evaporative cooling system but the desert is dry and there aren't many plants so this natural A/C never really kicks in.

So, now you know and you can explain all that to folks when they ask why it's so damn hot here and look like a genius. Or, you can just stick with what we've been saying all along - we live in a freaking desert.