The "Dog Days" of Summer

Yes, it's that time! Just what are the "Dog Days" of Summer you ask? Let's start out with one of the official definitions, though it varies from source to source. I pulled out my good 'ol "Glossary of Meteorology" from the American Meteorological Society. It reads:

dog days -
The period of greatest heat in the summer.
Although the name is popularly supposed to have been derived from the period when dogs are especially liable to go mad, it is actually taken from Sirius, the Dog Star. In ancient Greece and Rome the heliacal rising of Sirius was associated with, and believed to cause, the hot, dry, sultry season of summer. The loss of human energy and the wilting of vegetation caused by this weather led to a belief in the baleful effect of Sirius on all human affairs. No formal meteorological or climatological definition exists. In the United States dog days are considered to persist for four to six weeks between mid-July and early September; in western Europe they last from about the third of July to the eleventh of August, and also are associated with the period of greatest frequency of thunder.

Other weather organizations refer to "dog days" as the hottest, most sultry days of summer. Regardless, we can safely say that the weather pattern here in South Central Kentucky this week certainly agrees with that. A ridge of high pressure continues to build south from the Great Lakes region. Winds have shifted to out of the north as the clockwise flow allows for drier air to filter into the region. Expect cloud cover to decrease and several days of mostly sunny skies. Lots of sunshine will be one of the factors helping high temperatures soar up to the low to mid 90s. Conditions gradually become more humid later in the week and next weekend as the ridge moves eastward and winds switch to out of the south. Heat indices near 100 are possible at times. It looks like our next shot at any rain won't be until at least Sunday... with only a very slight chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm.

Remember to take it easy this week by staying in a cool place and drinking plenty of water. Don't forget about your pets too! Click here to read an article contaning some useful tips from the U.S. Humane Society.

I'll close with a brief fact for this day in weather history. Did you know that back on July 30th, 1971... this date still holds Bowling Green's coolest high, 67 degrees, for the month of July? Wouldn't that be nice!

Until next time, keep dreaming of the cool weather~  :)

- Jay B.

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