As he leaves Phoenix's blistering sun, AP's climate news director reflects on desert life
For four years, The Associated Press' global climate and environment news director, Peter Prengaman, has lived in Phoenix PHOENIX -- I blink, and the edges of my eyelids feel like they are being singed. My cheeks burn as if they are being pressed with a hot iron ready to tackle a pile of wrinkled shirts. It is 4 p.m. I look at my 12-year-old son, whose face is flushed. He lets out a groan and puts his hand on his forehead to shield his eyes from the blistering sun. It is 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius). My family knows being in temperatures like this is dangerous. We've lived here for four years. This time, though, we are outside for only a few minutes to conduct an important experiment: How long will it take to cook a quesadilla on the sidewalk? Such is life these days in Phoenix, one of the hottest cities in the world. But for us, this summer is our last here; this weekend, I’m moving with my family to New York for my job as — wait for it — The Associated Press’...