“April weather, rain and sunshine both together.” – English Country saying

It hasn’t been but a month’s time since the calendar decried the arrival of spring. Perhaps a few pages stuck together and we landed in the middle of June or even August. This assumption is based on the wild weather roller coaster ride we’re on. You never know what’s around the next corner or the extent of the highs and lows; i.e., day and night time temperatures.    

From last week to this, it has gone from chilly temperatures with the need of a jacket to a full on heat wave and bikini weather. The above quotation gives credence to this flip-flop temperature swing as being a known one. I don’t recall in past years there being such radical and unexpected changes in such a short time. It seemed summer arrived slowly with mild spring days followed by the May Gray/June Gloom. And then, after the 4^th of July, on your mark, get set, go!

So, what’s up with these crazy weather changes?

Many regions across the United States are heading into a potentially blistering summer into September with hotter than normal temperatures expected across nearly the entire country say meteorologists and climatologists.

Dan Collins, a meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, said that for July, August and September across almost the entire United States “the average temperatures are likely to be above normal,” especially in the West and Northeast.

The trends over the last few decades are clear. The most recent figures are in line with a general warming trend: Each decade since the 1960s has been warmer than the one before and the five hottest years occurred in the second half of the last decade.

There is no one single answer as to why. Most likely it’s the coming together of many and varied causes. First on the list, without a doubt, is global warming. The less alarming reason is based on normal climactic fluctuations. These have cycled and made for drastic change throughout the past thousands of years. Heat waves “are one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC data shows hundreds of people die each year from heat-related illnesses. Stay hydrated and cool, as circumstances allow.

Temperatures around 100 are predicted for Inland Valley areas today and tomorrow. Gusty north to northeast winds are expected in many areas throughout Thursday. A cooling trend is expected to begin Sunday with a small chance of rain by next Monday.

In spite of temperature fluctuations pool season has officially … opened!