Weather Eye: Riding the summer weather roller coaster

Our typical July weather continues, and it appears we are on a gentle roller coaster ride, with high temperatures and morning clouds. Pretty easy, not scary at all. And, unlike an amusement park ride, it is free.

Good westerly winds have made it a fantastic summer in the Columbia River Gorge for windsurfers. And that will continue for the next few days, with winds over 30 mph. We will have morning clouds the next several days, with highs actually a little below seasonal normals. Mostly in the 70s, maybe 80 if skies clear earlier. The forecast still looks on track for warm high pressure moving in over the weekend, with a return to the 80s and near 90 for Sunday through Tuesday.

I don’t even want to discuss the changing of the seasons, but the retail industry sure puts it before our eyes. Back to school supplies, closeouts on summer apparel and things for the yard and garden.

But wait, we still have two months of summer weather ,even if we are losing minutes of daylight each day. We are in the “dog days of summer,” which runs from July 3 through Aug. 11, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Of course this coincides with the rising of the Dog Star, Sirius.

I always like to think of it as the real dog days of summer, with the family pooch lying out in the backyard under a giant shade tree. You know, too pooped to pant kind of thing. Of course, I picture the dog’s owner in a hammock, with a glass of lemonade in hand.

Nat King Cole sang decades ago, “Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer.” And since we are in the midst of summer, I leave you with a few words of his song:

“Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer

You will wish that summer could always be here!”

Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://weathersystems.com.