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Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Or maybe just a weird thing?

Does that mean you don't expect many wildfires this year?

It's kind of a both thing. It's good not to be in a drought. On the other hand, rivers and reservoirs are full and the snow is about to start melting in the Sierras.

With wildfires, also hard to tell. More rain = more vegetation. If we go into a hot dry spell, it'll be tinder by fall.

It's definitely a weird thing.

After a long spell of short-sleeves, it's time to get out the winter jacket again. I don't know why I still get surprised by this after all these years, but I do.

I optimistically planted a whole bunch of herbs and flowers. I'd better bring them inside overnight.

In case it makes you feel any better, tomorrow is supposed to be our first day where we hit 90F.

We've had 90s inland this weekend. And then you drive towards the hills, and there's a wave of fog spilling over, like it's Caradhras, and it's 60s on the other side.

It was cool today but beautiful.

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Back to short-sleeve weather. Buuuuut there's a frost warning for tonight.

It rained again. Lightly but it was definitely a rain and not a fog turned drizzle. Very unusual for late May.

It's been perfect here the past few days. It's sooooo nice!

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You know the best thing about this weather? When I want to go for a walk, I just grab the leash and go. I don't have to put several layers of clothing on as Willow Matilde Shadow Margaret Note Spelling gets gradually louder and shriller with every passing microsecond.

I miss the old days when whenever I announced we were going out, Sam and Anna would rush to the door and then silently watch me with huge grins on their faces.

Today is absolutely delightful. Creeks are still gurgling, it's not hot and not windy. And everything is still green.

The air is becoming smoky again. Since this looks like it may be a trend, I should probably invest in getting an indoor air purifier / filter. Any advice or recommendations?

I'll have to take notes.

We're expecting storms, large hail, and possible tornados this evening. Might get interesting!

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I will reiterate that a merv13 filter taped to a box fan works fine. Or you can make a Corsi-Rosenthal Box , which is 4 filters and a fan, taped together. If you have a AC or whole house fan, use MERV13 on those as well.

Our best invention was to tape a filter into the partially open window so we could get the outside air in without the smoke. The fan + filter combo sat in front of that, cleaning the incoming air.

It was the difference between me developing a spastic cough and needing albuterol in 2019, and barely any irritation in 2020.

Lali, yikes!

It's one of those "is the air quality alert because of the refinery fuckup or the wildfires?" kinds of days (I think it's both?)
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Details about the refinery:
https://abc7chicago.com/sulfur-smell-in ... /13428050/
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But what it boils down to* is "our facilities are so poorly maintained they literally can't hold up against a stiff breeze, and we released so much unnamed mystery gas(es) that people are fleeing the smell a state away." (the article only mentions Indiana, but the smell made it to Michigan too)
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*"unplanned flaring of gases" sounds like it's trying pretty hard to be Soviet, but missed the memo about never admitting under any circumstances that something isn't according to plan

They're saying the mystery gas is sulfur dioxide:
https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/ ... 356719007/
Which is very smelly but not too dangerous, but might mean that the rain we're (finally) getting today is acid rain.

There was a tornado in Alberta, with fist-sized hail. Homes were damaged, but luckily nobody seems to have been injured:

Yikes!

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We're in our second tornado warning of the day, and there actually was a tornado in Barrhaven (south Ottawa).

Just as well that my office is in the basement, because we're all advised to go to the basement and wait it out.