>>33493584>TotTThe meme: deserts are hot.
The reality: deserts can have a diverse amount of weather and temperature, due to being lands of extremes.
When most people hear the word "desert" (mind, I love good dessert), they think of three things: heat, dryness, and sand. The conventional desert tends to be a sunny place on Earth because of high pressure and absence of low pressure systems, which is seen in other, more hospitable biomes. Dry atmospheric conditions near the surface and aloft, coupled with an exacerbated exposure to the sun, where solar angles are always high, result in a typical hot desert.
To survive, you need to contend with heat and aridity because the body needs water to live. However, something to be aware of is how the temperature can plummet at nighttime. Hypothermia is just as deadly as dehydration; of the two threats to survival, hypothermia is the less obvious. Some deserts are still hot at night, but others become deadly cold.
As for weather, you have to watch out for sandstorms. Those are far worse than a T-tar's sand stream domain by a long-shot. Easy to get lost in, can make you go blind, and damage any sensitive equipment you have. Worse still, finding cover is a hassle in a place where protective rock formations have been eroded to sand or buried.
Additionally, some deserts are prone to flash-floods. This is because a desert climate is defined by a “precipitation threshold” accounting for average annual temperature and total precipitation. Yes, it is possible to drown while in a desert. Then again, quicksand makes for an excellent trope in an adventure.
>TL;DR: Deserts are cool!Weather and climate are very important in my story. Should have a new chapter of Heaven's Slice posted soon.
