Typical Summer Weather Pattern

Today I don't have much to say, so I'll resort to an old stand-me-by: the weather. For the past few weeks, we in north central Florida have been experiencing typical summer weather. Lows are in the seventies, highs in the vicinity of 90 (with a few spikes in the mid-90s). It's usually pretty clear in the morning, with those puffy cumulus clouds beginning to proliferate around noon (see picture). Afternoons and evenings are full of "interesting" weather, with the prospect of violent thunderstorms and near-torrential rains always present. The other day in Jacksonville, my family and I went to the Cheesecake Factory restaurant just before noon, with clear skies all around. By the time we walked out, the skies were overcast. And as we left Jaguartown a couple of hours later, severe thunderstorms descending on the area. Passing through Middleburg on the way back was like driving through a lake. Fortunately, we had taken the van instead of the little Pontiac.

The same outlook holds for today as well. So the wise get outdoors in the morning and do what they need to do then. But then again, I noticed that several of my fellow "Gainesvillians" have decided, by jogging and walking in the rain, that it's better to get thoroughly soaked in cooler weather (as much as 25 degrees cooler) than burn up in the dry heat! Maybe they're the wise ones and the rest of us are the fools!