I deal in facts.
Few things are in black and white. It either is, or it isn’t. Sometimes, that makes for a difficult, tension-filled conversation.
One of which it’s time to have.
Each year as August thankfully leaves us, I hear people say “Ah, it’s finally September — the start of cooler weather.”
Baloney.
If that were true, you would likely be reading this while wearing a light jacket on your patio, or a pullover at the kitchen table. And you’re not.
September is simply a continuation of our long, hot, insufferable summer — one which we have learned to expect and live with (although this summer has been exceedingly hot.) And, of course, I have the facts to prove it.
Michael Berry, a Senior Meteorologist at the local National Weather Service office, tells me the average high temperature through the first half of September is 93 degrees. 93 degrees? Does that feel like “Fall” to you?
By the end of the month, the average high drops to 85. Still warm enough to stimulate our sweat glands and keep us from reaching for our long-sleeved shirts.
What the start of September does mean is that summer’s end is in sight. Eventually, the days won’t be so miserable, and the nights won’t be so sticky. But we still have a ways to go. History shows us that even in October, 90-degree temperatures are common. However, Michael tells me around that time, an early-season cold front usually finds its way to us.
I don’t keep data on this sort of thing, but once upon a time (1985) I played a TV weatherman. It sure seems like our first cold snap doesn’t usually hit until at least October 15th. My fiancé and I will go to an LSU game this season, but not one before the 15th. God bless those of you who sit in Tiger Stadium for those first three games, day or night. Even the October 14th SEC game versus Auburn is cutting it too close for me.
When November rolls around — now we’re talking. Michael says the average high to start the month is near 73, dropping to 63 by the time we turn the page to December. If you’re going to be out at night, November is the time to break out a light jacket and shake off the dog hair (I have a Golden Retriever — there’s dog hair on everything.) Lows start out in the 50’s, and touch the low-40’s.
Now, I will tell you what September does means — the start of football season (actually, some games began the last week of August.) How in the world those guys play in this stifling heat while wearing all that equipment, I will never know. But for those of us who enjoy sitting in our 70-degree living room in front of our (at least) 65-inch flat screen HDTV, September feels glorious!
September used to mean going back to school. When I was a kid, we started the Thursday before Labor Day, went Friday, and took off the Monday holiday. This year, Caddo Parish students were back in the classroom August 9 while Bossier Parish students waited a day later. School in August? “Hey kids! Your goal is to try and make a score on this test equal to today’s high temperature!
Kind of like shooting your age in golf.
So, while September means we are rounding the turn and heading for home, it does not mean the dog days of summer are over.
And that’s a fact.
Contact Tony at SBJTonyT@gmail.com
