A taste of summer
Although summer does not begin until June 21, most folks consider summer, the months of June, July and August. We call this period the meteorological summer, since most of our summer like weather and summer activities occur during this time period. By early September, the heat and humidity have dissipated, nights are cool, vacations are over and the kids are back to school.
Certainly, this past week fit the profile of summer with its warm temperatures and high humidity. Swimming pools opened as our temperatures soared towards 90 degrees after weeks of cool and damp weather. Dew Point temperatures, which measure the amount of humidity in the air, were also on the rise, reaching an uncomfortable level at times. This brought out a few complaints about the heat and humidity, but it蘑菇视频 important to remember that cities east of us had temperatures well into the 90s and Newark, New Jersey hit 99 degrees.
I live in the mountains just east of Uniontown where temperatures are always 5 to 7 degrees cooler than our lower elevations. Our mountains are also some 10-15 degrees cooler than a lot of the cities east of here and for this reason we get a lot of out-of-state license plates with visitors who like to come and enjoy the refreshingly cooler air. These visitors come here to fish, hike and camp, ride the bike trail and raft the Yough River. They bring a lot of economic activity to the region, and truly do create jobs for our people.
On the bike trail, I am noticing a lot of bikers who are traveling to Pittsburgh, Cumberland or Washington, DC. Last week, i encountered a group of young folks riding from Baltimore to Portland, Oregon. Ohiopyle to Confluence and back, a round trip of around 18 miles, is about my limit which I am able to do several times each week.
Last night, I sat out on my front porch enjoying evening giving way to night and experiencing the colors and 鈥渜uiet鈥� approaching. Just after dark, the magic of the fireflies appeared and I knew that summer was really here. Who cannot remember an evening of catching fireflies in a jar and watching them light up? At my age, I am content to just watch the magic and treasure the memories of youth. The warmer nights also allow for the windows to stay open at night, and this morning, I was treated to the sound of Woody Wood Pecker hunting for his early morning breakfast. The morning birds start their singing just as dawn breaks, but Woody and I slept in until just before 6 a.m.
This coming week looks to be a bit cooler than the preceding one with temperatures and dew points more normal. Rainfall will be scattered and average a little above normal. Average temperatures for the area are 81 for the high and 60 for the morning low. Mountain regions are about 5 degrees cooler.