Good morning! Since the last update, we have some clearing and a slight increase in the temperature and dew point. Partly cloudy and 62 degrees. There is a south breeze at 7 mph. The dew point is a comfortable 50. More sun later on.

Today will have a chance of showers, mainly before 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Three degrees below normal. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. The record high of 95 was set in 1954.

Tonight the sun will set at 8:37 pm with dusk around 9:12 pm, which is 9 seconds later than yesterday. We keep adding a few seconds every night, pushing us into the 8:37 sunset. Today will have 15 hours and 18 minutes of daylight, a decrease of 8 seconds over yesterday – time lost from the morning.

Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low around 53. Six degrees below normal. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. The record low of 44 occured back in 1940.

On this day in 1969, the Cuyahoga River catches fire in Cleveland, Ohio, drawing national attention to water pollution. River fires weren’t a new thing at the time but it caught the public’s imagination with the advent of color television and LIFE Magazine. The news media has a powerful impact on the national narrative.

Going past the railroad tracks every day, I have to wonder when one of those oil tanker cars will burn under Interstate 787. That would certainly damage the steel and close down the expressway for months if not years. Just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean a terrible accident won’t happen in the future. People talked a lot about the risk New Orleans faced before Katrina happened.

There are 8 weeks until Thrift Shop Day when the sun will be setting at 7:52 pm with dusk at 8:22 pm. The average high temperature is 81 degrees, with a record high of 97 in 1913. Thrift shops are a great place for good bargain. And it keeps things out of the landfill or burn pile at least temporarily.

Still a bit undecided about the weekend. I’m kind of bored with Piseco-Powley Road, as I’ve spent a lot of time in recent summers up there. But I sure love the the Potholers. Maybe camping at Stewart Landing will be a good change. I don’t know. I guess I have a few more days to decide. Going to be a hot one for sure.

I need to fix the wiring on the truck cap which came lose again. I really need to get a better set of switches to run the lamps — the screw on switches I’m currently using seem to always pull lose. They also require a micro-screw driver, which I have managed to misplace. The contacts are unreliable. Maybe I can find a better switch box at Advanced Auto or the Internet.

Enjoy your Hump Day. I know I’m looking forward to the Plaza Farmers Market to get some good eats …