The Summer Season & Heat Has Finally Arrived

TODAY'S OBSERVATIONS:
TODAY'S HIGH/LOW: 85/64
AVERAGE HIGH/LOW: 83/64
MY FORECASTED HIGH/LOW: 84/61
TODAY FINISHED 2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
NO PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED

SPRING'S END HAS COME
There was a time we were awaiting Spring's arrival and it came and has now passed. Its been 61 days since our last snow (trace amounts on April 19th) and 60 days since our last freeze (30° low on April 20th). We are now only a few hours away from summer's arrival which occurs on two different days in the U.S. Summers Solstice occurs as follows;
THURSDAY PM: 10:04 PM Pacific Time and 11:04 PM Mountain Time
FRIDAY AM: 12:04 AM Central Time and 1:04 AM Eastern Time
The location where the sun is shining directly overhead is known as the "subsolar point." The June "summer solstice" occurs when the subsolar point reaches its northernmost position, at the Tropic of Cancer (just north of 23 degrees North latitude).



The summer solstice marks the official arrival of Summer and is marked as the day with the most sunlight referred to as the "longest day of the year". After the date passes, then daylight will begin to get shorter. Now something you should know about that is, this does not have a direct impact on temperatures for July and August. In fact, later at that time, this is when the "Dog Days of Summer" occurs. This is when temperatures are typically at its hottest of the year. I'll go more into details on that at a later date.



49 Days This Year with Highs 70+ | 23 Days This Year with Highs 80+ | 0 Days This Year with Highs 90+


BEAT THE HEAT
Warmer temperatures have returned but one thing we didn't have Wednesday and Thursday is the humidity. This nice weather will come to an end. Well...sort of. The humidity will creep up starting Friday and the outdoor furnace will be cranked up a tad. We're talking temperatures that may reach 90s by early next week, if not over the weekend. The weather won't be so pleasant then, it will be very uncomfortable. Heat indices will be in the mid to upper 90s. You'll definitely want to keep a water bottle or a damp rag in hand.

Evaporation is your body way of cooling you off. It may seem like your sweating more but your not. Those higher dew points/humidity does not make it very conducive to the evaporation process and traps the heat inside the body. Therefore, can cause heat illnesses (as your body will be overworked). Your body has to work harder to keep your body at a certain temperature. So make sure your taking frequent breaks, wearing loose light clothing, and staying in the shade (if applicable) when engaged in strenuous outdoor activities.
Higher humidity and hotter temperatures adds to the dangers for hazardous health conditions that can damage your body or lead to fatalities without taking extra precautions of safe, proper care/treatments. Avoid drinking carbonated and/or alcoholic beverages that could lead to heat cramps. As sun does contain some Vitamin D for your for body, avoid prolonged exposure as this could damage your skin. If engaged in outdoor activities which leaves you with prolonged exposure to the sun, wear sunglasses and sunscreen.
Vitamin D maintains normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus in the human body and can possibly help prevent osteoporosis, high blood pressure, and even depression. The recommended exposure time to sunlight without sunscreen is only 10-15 mins per day, 2-3 times per week between 8AM-4PM. Longer unprotected exposure can lead to skin cancer. Last year, FDA mandated new labels for sunscreen and manufacturers were to comply with new label requirements by last fall. The main thing you need to know is Sunscreen is good for atleast 2 hrs and then you MUST reapply. If your in and out of water it may be good for 40-80 mins. SPF 30 is recommended but 45 is highly recommended especially if your outside for a longer period of time.
Consumer Reports has done a recent study to test these sunscreen products out and it appears you can't always rely on the sunscreen's SPF number for the best protection though. So what should you buy? Copy and paste or click the url address link below for more information on this study. They've put a few to the test and have the results. Don't waste your money and pick up anything. You deserve to know what your getting before you buy.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/sunscreens0713.htm

Also, keep in mind, childrens and pets should NOT be left in the vehicle in the heat. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND COULD LEAD TO DEATH especially during long periods of time and inadequate cool ventillation. About 400 people are killed and 6200 people hospitalized every year in the U.S. due to excessive heat Please follow safe precautions this summer. Don't become a part of this statistic. For more information on Heat Safety click HERE.


There will be chance for some rain or storms not only for Saturday but for Sunday as well. For those who don't see a drop, again it will be a hot & humid weekend. For those who don't mind the heat, you might be okay to go ahead with your outdoor plans.

I didn't mention it earlier but after the summer solstice occurs,the moon will be in full. The moon this month is different than other months as this months moon will be 14% bigger & 30% brighter. This moon will be the closest "supermoon" to Earth of the year and won't be this close again until August 2014. According to NASA, a Super Moon occurs because the Moon is in an elliptical orbit around the Earth. When the Moon is closest, it is at its orbital perigee, which is why a Super Moon is also known as a Perigee Moon.
The moon will be in full on June 23rd at 7:32am and can still likely be seen on June 24th. This months full moon is called Strawberry Moon. This is time where Native American tribes would gather ripening fruit. In Europe (where strawberries aren't native) they called it the Rose Moon.

Lightning Safety Awareness Week

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has declared next week (June 23rd-29th) as Lightning Safety Awareness Week nationwide.
The purpose is to inform the dangers of lightning and how you can keep your family and yourself safe from risking injury or death. On average, 54 people in the U.S. are killed by lightning and so far there have been 7 fatalities in 2013. Two each in Illinois and Florida, and one each in Louisiana, Missouri and Texas. I've provided a few links below for more information on this topic.

1.Lightning Safety Home Page 2.2013 Lightning Fatalities 3.Lightning Fatalities in Previous Years 4.Indianapolis, IN Lighting Safety Awareness Week 5.List of Other Informative Links from NOAA

***8 DAY WEATHER OUTLOOK***
 FRIDAY'S AVG HIGH: 84° | FRIDAY'S AVG LOW: 64°| SUNRISE: 6:17AM | SUNSET: 9:16PM
 SUMMER OFFICIALLY BEGINS TONIGHT at 1:04AM EST | THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF SPRING

JUNE 21	JUNE 22	JUNE 23	JUNE 24	JUNE 25	JUNE 26	JUNE 27	JUNE 28
FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
MOSTLY SUNNY	SUNNY ISO STORMS?	SUNNY ISO STORMS?	PARTLY SUNNY	SUNNY PM STORM?	SUNNY ISO STORMS?	STORMS POSSIBLE	PARTLY SUNNY
HOTTER!	MILD	DRY	HOT!!	HOT!!	HOT!!	MILD	NOT AS WARM
87	88	89	89	90	92	88	85
69	71	71	72	74	74	70	68