No, I’m not having flashbacks to the decade of disco, the oil crisis, feminism, civil rights, etc. I’m talking about autumn-like temperatures in the mid-70s at lunch time here in Kansas City. I took full advantage of the beautiful weather by walking a couple of blocks to my favorite local Italian restaurant for lunch.
For a comparison, here’s the average temperatures, historically, reported for Kansas City (thanks to the Weather Underground for the stats):
| August 14, 2013 | Max Temp | Min Temp |
|---|---|---|
| Normal (KMCI) | 88 °F | 68 °F |
| Record (KMCI) | 113 °F (1936) | 54 °F (2002) |
| Yesterday | 80 °F | 66 °F |
When I first walked out of my house this morning, I knew something was different. For starters, the sky was clear. I felt a bit of a chill in the air, not something I expect to feel in the middle of August during a Kansas summer. The dashboard information center in the van confirmed temperatures in the lower 60s in the pre-dawn morning air.
I took the above photograph about 20-25 minutes before sunrise this morning. I can’t take an actual sunrise photo during the work week because the sun is rising at or shortly after 6:30 a.m. Central local time. By that time, I’m fifteen minutes into my morning commute, picking up the last three of my vanpool riders. I did drive into a glorious golden orange sun hanging barely above the horizon for a few minutes. The atmosphere was pretty hazy, so I could look directly at the sun for long periods of time. I didn’t spy any sunspots though … my eyes are not quite that good. I’m far-sighted, but not that far-sighted.
So today I’m very thankful for mild temperatures, low humidity and beautiful clear skies.