Summer Rolls On! | Local News | Hometownsource.com |

July was a cooker. We warmed into the 90s four times, but the heat isn’t likely what you remember the most. It was the lack of rain. My yard currently features more shades of yellow than green. Yes, it looks like a Packers yard, and that pains me. I guess it would look awfully strange if it was purple and gold. This past month goes down as the 15th driest July on record. We were nearly three inches below average. It was worse last summer at this time, but August rains came to the rescue. It was a hot month with 4 days in the 90s, but it was the 10th wettest August on record with nearly seven inches of rain. I hope we get a repeat performance this year.

So, this is a big weekend with the Washington County Fair in full swing. This is the 151st county celebration, and I’ve been there nearly every year of my life. What do I love most? The tradition of course. I love watching the kids show off their animals, arts and crafts. I love getting a malt and walking around to soak in all the fun. I love how I treat this as my appetizer to the Minnesota State Fair that kicks off in a few weeks. And I love how our daughters made the same memories there that I did in my youth. But I never did win a goldfish in a plastic bag like one of my girls did. I think she named him Goldie…go figure.

Tomorrow is a big day out there, and I hope the weather cooperates. There will be a BMX Mega Jump Show and of course the K-9 demonstrations. I’m really looking forward to the Canine Costume Competition at 4pm. How would you dress your dog if you entered? A Halloween costume, or would you go with some kind of theme (dog days of summer perhaps)? There is a demolition derby at 6pm. I hope nobody does the Malachi Crunch like what happened to Pinky Tuscadero on Happy Days. I’ll keep my eyes out for Fonzie. What I am looking most forward to is my friends the Rockin’ Hollywoods cranking out the fun dance tunes at 8pm. I’m sure I’ve spun this yarn before, but that band played at my wedding reception several years ago. They have done over 7500 shows, and my favorite show is always their next show. If you see a meteorologist dancing with a beautiful woman into the night, that would be me.

Our average highs and lows are slowly beginning to drop. By the end of the month, a high of 78 will be considered average. Soak up summer while we still have it, the cooler days of fall are coming. And I rank our next season a close second to summer.

Chris Shaffer is Chief Meteorologist at WCCO-TV Minneapolis.

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