Looking Like Winter in Winamac! Summer on Vacation for One More Day!

Courtesy of Gary Deboy

I was taking a walk tonight, I walk 2 1/2 miles every day, it was 7;00 PM 6/23/2008 and I had the camera with me, ABOUT 3 MILES S/W of Rossville. The sky was blue, the corn was green, the sun was out, with a few clouds in the sky, and WLFI TV tower is in the background, and I thought it would make a nice picture.

Yes! This is a wonderful picture and I am proud of you for walking every day. Consistency is what separates good workout routines from great ones. It is also good to see the corn doing well! Today was a day where I felt like I could run forever without getting tired as I soaked up those blue skies and enjoyed the low humidity. Usually in the summer the combination of heat and humidity adds about one minute per mile to my time. Today I gained a minute per mile and clocked in under a 7 minute mile. I felt like I had Spring fever out there today as my 4 mile run felt like about a mile! In the Rocky Mountains apparently they are also having some refreshing weather. Maybe too refreshing!

My name is Caryn Franchois and my Husband Greg took this cold, windy picture. It was a beautiful 7degree wind chill summer afternoon day on June 11th, 2008. We were on the highest road in America. Trail Ridge Road is in the Rocky Mountains above Denver CO. This little Marmot was just sitting there in the cold and he snapped the picture. It started snowing a few minutes later. It was our vacation and it is some of the most wonderful scenery in the United States, but freezing and in June.

Thanks for sending this in Caryn. I will have to add this to my list of places to see that is for sure. Temperatures drop about 4 degrees every thousand feet and with the amplified pattern we have been in this month I have no doubt the same jet stream that has brought us our stormy weather is also giving Colorado some unsual weather. I know some of the ski resorts out there were open this year later than ever before! The little Marmot at least looks warm in his or her coat of fur.

Where is summer? I did find summer across Texas and the Western states. Phoenix recorded its 14th day above 100 degrees. What I find interesting about this pattern is that I still think it will be a recurring one this summer. The hottest weather will stay in the deep South and especially out West. Here in Lafayette we will have less than our average 16 days of 90 degrees or above. I am going to stick with that forecast of 12 days of 90 degrees or above. The jet stream will be forced to detour a little farther south than normal due to the big heat out West. This will bring in more frequent cold fronts and even though I do see us drying out to near normal rainfall in July and August, the rest of the Summer of 2008 may be remembered as the Summer of Hail. I am still working on my July forecast but my latest projections still favor temperatures near or slightly below average. Look what this pattern did yesterday with unusually cool air aloft and the warm sun heating the lower levels of the atmosphere. Get ready insurance agents. This could be one of those summers. You may want to tell your clients to find parking garages for their cars.

Thank you Tristan Scheffer. This picture was taken just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday in Winamac and you could see that even though we did not get any snow like out in Colorado, the ground did have a nice white "hail" coating on it! This is a reminder that winter begins in 182 days on December 22nd at 1:08 EST. Since you know how much I love snow, I have already checked into what this winter will bring. See I do earn my pay during quieter weather. You have to keep moving to stay ahead of nature that is for sure. What I found is that some maps do have a weak El Nino developing which would favor Lafayette once again having an above average snow year. The last time we had a weak El Nino I was running around WLFI going crazy during the blizzard of 2007. Bring it on! My tradition of playing Christmas music during the summer for Christmas in July may have to be moved up this year. I am fired up after seeing this picture above and thinking about the winter forecast. Snow lovers get ready!

Tonight make sure to tune in for a reality check. Summer will make a return on Wednesday and the thunderheads will return. Could more hail be in our future? I will have your answer shortly.

Now it is time to get out, walk, run, exercise...just get out and make it happen! You can do it. Remember the 5k Zoo Run Run is coming up July 19th at 8:30 a.m. at Columbian Park Zoo. Look for a commercial with me racing not only turtles but goats. :) That is a fun story for another day. It goes back to a case of Spring fever.