Refreshing Storms to Break the Humidity

The weather forecasters hadn't given rain much of a chance today -- just a 30% prospect of widely scattered showers. However, when I braved the stifling humidity at lunchtime to water all the fig trees, butterfly bushes, and the resurgent Lantana, the chances quickly soared to 100%. Within an hour, we had a fairly hard downpour with a smattering of thunder. It lasted a half-hour and boy was it welcome! This week has brought summer-like humidity with temperatures rising even along the oceanfront to the 90s.

Tomorrow a cold front is supposed to arrive that will drop the daytime temps 10 degrees and drastically lower the humidity. Conditions are supposed to stay that way, delightfully pleasant, through Memorial Day weekend. We can only hope the nice weather will help keep a lid on tempers and foster patience and good behavior as a major bike rally rolls through the area for the long weekend. Law enforcement agencies have been preparing for a year to prevent, as best they can, a recurrence of last year's deadly outbreak of violence. They could use the help of the elements as well as The Man Upstairs.

Personally, as I age, I find that I do not handle summer's heat and humidity nearly as well as I did when as a boy I played baseball all day long, June through August, on a neighborhood sandlot with only an occasional snack and Coke break. We never thought about it being too hot. Today, by contrast, I persuaded my senior Superdawg to skip the morning walk due to the relentless sun and stifling humidity (Sadie didn't seem to object too much), and instead did my exercising on a bike in the air-conditioned neighborhood workout room after the storm passed. Memo to self: Buy that spiffy swimsuit on sale at Target and start exercising in the pool as well. It looks inviting.

The thunder is rumbling again as a second storm approaches, so I am signing off for now, and wishing all a happy start to another summer.

                                             © Robert G. Holland  2015