Rain, Weather Patterns, and Summer

As I write this entry, it is 80 degrees outside and a good evening to just be outdoors. How are you spending your summer? I'm not sure about you, but it seems like the summer is moving along at a fast pace. I think it's because we are all staying busy and it goes faster as we get older (I'm finding that out fast).

I've had a few questions regarding the heat in the west and other questions about the heavy rainfall that has fallen recently in Kansas. The hot weather in the west is nothing unusual for this time of the year. Remember, the jet stream is tracking near the Canada/US border, so south of this jet stream is where you find the warmer temperatures. The jet stream doesn't move much until we get into September, so the hot weather will continue in the west. There is some connection to the heavy rainfall in Kansas too. Cold fronts that drop out of the north usually make it to Kansas and then stop. When the fronts stop on Kansas, we tend to get heavy rainfall events. The extremely high moisture content in the atmosphere was another reason why we ended up with 17 and 18 inch rainfall amounts. A similar situation could be on the way this week with several rounds of storms, but lets hope it doesn't get that bad.

I like putting pictures on here and we did get a good one this week from Robin Eshelman. The deer in the picture don't look to happy about the situation. Swimming must not be their forte. By the way, after spending some time at home for the holiday, I noticed a HUGE increase in the toad population. They literally cover the road and it's impossible to dodge them with a vehicle. Just thought I would share.