Douglas: Sunny and comfortable into Labor Day

Don’t be that guy. And with apologies to my gender, it’s usually a guy. I am consistently gobsmacked by men in the path of severe thunderstorms who wait until the last minute to make a mad dash to safety. On golf fairways. Sitting in fishing boats. At construction sites.

Don’t wait until you can “see lightning.” The first growl of thunder represents an atmospheric IQ Test. We all learn to lower risk at a tender age. Don’t play in traffic. Wear a helmet when biking. Safety goggles around gnarly tools. But bad weather? “Where was the warning, Paul?” It was thundering overhead! You ignored the tap on the shoulder. Thoughts and prayers.

I can safely unplug the Doppler for a few days. Thursday’s fireworks give way to an infusion of cooler, cleaner, lower-humidity air, with sunshine Friday into Labor Day. Comfortable dew points in the 50s with mid-70s for highs Labor Day? Yes, please.

Meanwhile Africa’s Sahara Desert is seeing flooding rains; 1000% of normal rainfall for August. A desert. I haven’t seen that before.