Hot Tamale!

It's 97 degrees out...

We are approaching the time of year when the 7-day forecast just isn't as charming as it is say in November with threats of snow, or mid-March as "severe" often peppers the forecast. I' ve come to love the weather, and I'm not really sure when that happened. We did live in Wichita Falls, Texas in the late 70's during the horrific tornado of 1979...and Oklahoma does have its fair share of servere weather.

There is something about anticipating a "snow day" that I can't get enough of. I like when thunderstorms are being forecast a few days away. Or in October when you start seeing the highs fall. I've been know to check 3-6 different forecasts any particular day. And I have a favorite weather radar at http://www.intillicast.com/ that is great for watching approaching storms. For a more scientific breakdown of the weather, check http://www.weatherunderground.com/. And what's better than a 7-day? How about a 15-day at http://www.accuweather.com/ If you live in the OKC metro my fave is http://www.koco.com/, but I do check the others. By the way, 10:17 p.m. is the exact time of the weather on KOCO. Also you can pause one forecast, and watch another. Thanks TiVo! Last October, I got to go on a tour of the National Weather service in Norman, OK. It was just a side event, during a conference I was attending, but what a treat!

Around July, all you see if 95, 96, 95, 94, 95, 98, 99, 95, 93 (oooh, a cold front), 95, 100. That's it for a couple of months. Occasionally, we will get hit with a surprise rain shower. But it is pretty much "weather sameness" for weeks on end. Radar---free and clear! Summer does make for a beautiful sky.

Some people are mountain people or beach people...I prefer a great sky/horizon. I didn't realize I was a "Plains Girl" until I went to Virginia and Alaska where the trees and mountains were hemming me in. I needed to see the SKY! Don't get me wrong, I love trees in the fall, and mountains are nothing short of breathtaking, but they have nothing on an Oklahoma sunset or a New Mexico horizon.

I digress...so here's to the 7-day, I love you and I will miss you this summer!