Thanks Julie & Happy Birthday! Nature Goes Retro Just For You!

My Much Better Half & 3 Daughters

Wow! What a last few days it has been. On Monday, my wife's birthday party was a success and the lasagna dinner was outstanding. Julie is one of a kind and I know someone was watching out for me the day she walked into my life. It is fitting I met her in Florida. Even though we are thousands of miles from the ocean, everyday is like a walk on the beach thanks to her. We have crazy lives like most parents and families nowadays and it is hard sometimes, but we both remember our roots and what brought us together. Yes, I look forward to many more nice walks with her on and off the beach. Life is like a beach with her in my life. Julie does not only mean everything to me, but our 3 girls. My oldest daughter Megan sums it up nicely for all of us.

Dear Mom,
You are the best Mom in the world! We all love you with all our hearts! We all appreciate what you do! You are the best Mom in the history of Moms! Even when it is raining and lightning, you always brighten up the day with a smile.

No, I did not help her write this. I did like the weather reference. Speaking of lightning, our pattern is so warm we have a chance of thunderstorms late tonight and tomorrow morning. Nature is all fired up like me! Julie of course likes 80s music, so as if on cue nature is going retro once again this week with more 80s in the forecast. We are not talking Elton John, Little River Band, or INXS, but more summer weather. All-time monthly record highs are not out of the question. Julie also likes 90s music and nature may squeeze in yet another 90 degree day by late week that could not only break daily records, but set a new monthly all-time high. The highest temperature ever recorded in October in Lafayette is 90 degrees. We could at least tie this record. We are all going to want to head to the beach to cool off! Or more realistically we can all head to the pumpkin patch like you see below to get our minds off the hot weather.



I snapped this picture of my boys and my nephew today at Stuckey Farms in Sheridan and thought it might be a good one for you if you needed a fall photo sometime.

Sincerely,
Heather Cooke

Yes, thanks Heather. It is nice to get a photo like this because our weather has been in the twilight zone and almost surreal. I have heard the pumpkins are doing very well because they grow much better in drier and warmer weather. So I knew we could find a positive angle to all of this. Now even though our glass is half full we cannot get too excited about the rain tonight because we have another fading front on the way.



The clouds tell the story. These interesting clouds in the sky today are called cirrocumulus clouds and they are usually a sign of not only a warm weather pattern, but a lot of dry air in place. So what is happening is our front is not only weak, but it is going to be running out of steam in our dry atmosphere. Areas of Missouri and Iowa could have up to an inch of rain and possible tornadoes. It will be much different here at home. We will not have severe weather and I think we may be able to squeeze out close to a quarter inch in many areas from Lafayette westward with less amounts farther east. But I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. One thing that most long-range models are agreeing on is that we will have our pattern shift to wetter than average condtions in November. I will have more on this exciting news here on the blog tomorrow. Yes, get ready for the La Nina!