We are truly getting summer weather here these past few days. Today it is 90 degrees F, and the dewpoint is 79. That means it is very uncomfortable. We are not southerners, who must get accustomed to dealing with this muggy weather. We suffer.
Luckily, I am in the air-conditioned home office today. I can only hope that most of those who do not have air conditioning will find a cool place. I worry about the elderly and the homeless in our area. Many cannot afford to have cool air. We have a very short summer, and many consider air conditioning to be a luxury rather than a necessity.
Today, it is a necessity.
There have been numerous storms in the area. Golfball-size hail, I heard on the radio. Thank goodness that passed us by. We just replaced our roof last year after hail damage.
It is the main topic of conversation. We have all become pseudo meteorologists, discussing the difference between the temperature and the heat index, the humidity and the dew point. The television and radio weather persons love to play with their newest technological gadgets, showing us with glee the rotating vortex embedded within the doppler radar’s hook echo. And we nod and say to ourselves, “Yup, it’s going to be a big one!”
Remember when we just looked at the sky? We were able to predict things without resorting to technology. As a kid, I was fascinated when I learned that if the silvery back sides of the trees’ leaves were showing in the wind, that meant that we would likely see rain. I also learned about the cumulonimbus clouds, and the thunderheads that we could see growing from the bottom up.
What is the accuracy rate for the technological weather predictors vs. our own predictions from sky observation? Any meteorologist is giving general predictions for a large area. I can only predict for the area I can see from where I am standing. No meteorologist can tell me exactly what will happen where I am standing with total accuracy.
I do appreciate the tornado warnings. As I can’t always know that there has been a tornado sighted 20 miles from here which is headed my way, a siren warning is a good thing. It still can’t tell me, though, if it is bearing down on my house.
We are very preoccupied with the weather. We have the curse of having more information “than we know what to do with” as they say around here. I still enjoy watching the clouds and enjoying the sunshine.
But WHEW! It’s a hot one today, dontcha think?
Just My Life 
Here, too. But I am mostly a Southerner, so I don’t have to adjust. I do my adjusting in the misery some called winter.
By: secret agent woman on July 14, 2010
at 7:43 pm
Yes, our winter is even more miserable than the summer. I hate winter here.
By: chlost on July 15, 2010
at 7:57 am
I never pay any attention to the weather forecast, I can’t do anything about the weather anyway, so why bother?
By: Robert the Skeptic on July 15, 2010
at 12:27 am
You’re right, the weather will do what it will, despite what is forecast, but it is sort of nice to know how hot or cold it might be to dress appropriately as you leave the house in the morning.
By: chlost on July 15, 2010
at 7:58 am
I also never pay attention to the weather forecasts. The weather is what it is, will be what it will be. Chlost, I dress pretty much the same year round and have a sweater and a couple sweatshirts in my car if I need them! Yeah, you can tell I make those best dressed lists all the time now can’t you…
It was hot yesterday, but nothing like Louisiana so I wasn’t bothered much. I like the four seasons of MN, fall best of all. The only time winter bothers me is when we get ice storms. I also don’t like those spring days when it’s warm enough for snow to melt but not warm enough to keep the air from being cold and damp.
By: Yael on July 15, 2010
at 3:59 pm
Too dang hot! Our Dallas Weatherdude said that we have had 56 consecutive days where the overnight low temperature was ABOVE normal. Global warming is definetly real! I am so ready for the cool mountain air next week!
By: The Idiot Speaketh on July 15, 2010
at 9:46 am
At the beach it is barable, inland life is misery. Hugs….
By: Mage Bailey on July 15, 2010
at 5:21 pm
It’s hot in Phoenix, too. Yesterday it was 116 (overnight low of 94). Today it cooled down to about 111. We had a chance of rain, but so far, got a dust storm and a couple of sprinkles (enough to make my car look awful). If the heat keeps up, we could get some decent monsoon storms…
By: jannatwrites on July 16, 2010
at 11:48 pm
Oh, my! That is hot enough to bake cookies! Hope you are able to stay cool. Of course, the response here would be “yes, but that is a dry heat”.
By: chlost on July 18, 2010
at 11:00 am
It’s been hot here in the suburbs of Chicago too…too hot for my liking. I just got a new air conditioner for my bedroom since my old one decided to stop working. There’s no way I could deal with this kind of heat and not have some air conditioning…especially upstairs where it gets pretty warm. We’ve all experienced some bazaar weather of one kind or another…and I think it’s getting weirder every year. Stay cool ch…. ~Joy
By: Joy on July 17, 2010
at 12:30 am
OUr upstairs has finally begun to stay a bit cooler. Much easier to sleep. That keeps us going.
By: chlost on July 18, 2010
at 11:01 am
In Atlanta it is not too bad this week. It has been in the 90s and humidity is high too, but we have had daily storms in the afternoon – it cools things and adds more humidity. In California where my daughter lives, near the beach, is the best, it’s not humid and not too warm, but I can’t afford to live there!
By: Vagabonde on July 17, 2010
at 6:19 pm
I have ben asking myself why I continue to live where I can rarely enjoy the weather. Very, very cold and snowy in the winter, and very hot and humid with lots of mosquitoes in the summer. What is there to like about it? I vote for the beach!
By: chlost on July 18, 2010
at 11:03 am
May I reccomend the Southern Oregon Coast? I used to live there for awhile as a kid, specifically in Gold Beach. They have nice warm summers…70-80 degrees, no humidity whatsoever, cool damp winters with no snow, they get far less rain than other parts of the state, they have gorgeous white sand beaches that are virtually deserted, and great seafood. The downside is that the water is too cold to swim in and you are a 4 hour drive from the closest mall or large city, though many people like that.
By: redriverpak on July 18, 2010
at 11:36 am
This is actually one part of the state that we did not visit, and would love to get back to see in the future. It sounds great to me. I don’t need a mall, believe me.
By: chlost on July 18, 2010
at 10:17 pm