Summertime Blues

Hazy, hot, and humid, with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms.

Small Town America: Summer Storms

Storm clouds gather in the afternoon...

People often forget how humid our climate actually is, because tourist pictures of Manhattan skyscrapers rarely capture the water that surrounds us here on all sides, down in the tri-state area. Every summer afternoon holds the promise (or a threat, depending upon your weather-related phobias) of a sudden, gushing downpour. 

...and build, but not always with rain.

It provides a climate that causes green to thrive like a tropical rain forest, but sometimes the thick dampness becomes so oppressive, you break out in an uncomfortably sweaty, sticky, prickly heat on the back of your neck that can only be cooled by swimming in a deep, cool body of water. That's what these images remind me of: walking along hot country roads shimmering with heat waves that radiate off the pavement, with an eye to the sky that prays for a rain to break through and wash it all away. What does your summer sky look like?