The "A Hot Halloween Is Likely! Story

It was an ordinary day.  Halloween!  And, Lancaster County, my hometown, could be scarring up a new heat record on Halloween.  Today's heat will challenge the high temperature record set nearly 80 years ago.  Now...that's a long time ago!  I was being pushed around in a buggy back in those days!  Temperatures today cold threaten the 81-degree record set in 1946, according to the Millersville Weather Information Center.  The high is part of a brief heat wave making its way through the county through the end of this month.  "We're currently forecasting a high of 80, but that 81 record could easily be tied with enough sunshine," Weather Center Director Kyle Elliott said.  Temperatures are expected to cool to he upper 60s by the time youngsters head out in search of treats today.  Trick-or-treating is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. across Lancaster County, rain or shine.  Because Halloween occurs at the turn of seasons, the holiday is occasionally marked by extreme weather.  In 2011, Lancaster trick-or-treaters had to wear snow boots as they went door to door after nearly 5 inches of snow fell October 29.  Is it any wonder that I tend to get colds in this kind of weather?  This year's heat comes during one of the driest Octobers recorded in Lancaster County history.  As of this past Tuesday, only 0.04 inches of rain had been recorded in Lancaster this month.  The only drier October was in 1963, when no rain at all fell.  "In aggregate, this month will be remembered for its tranquility, persistent warmth, crisp nights and plentiful sunshine," Elliott wrote in a weather forecast discussion Friday.  "Warm-weather lover or not, it's hard to complain about this weather!"  But, dry conditions have led to a series of woods fires, with emergency dispatchers reporting well over 40 fire emergencies since the beginning of the month.  Lancaster officially reached a moderate drought stage last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (whatever that is!).  Parts of Chester, Montgomery and Bucks counties are experiencing severe drought conditions, and Philadelphia has recorded its driest October in more than 20 years, with no rainfall so far this month, according to the National Weather Service.  If I didn't know that I was back home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania...I would swear that I was in my favorite hot locale known as St. Martin/Sint Maarten.  Oh how I miss that place!  Beautiful sunny days with trips to the beach for a dip in beautiful waters of the island known as Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  Oh well!  Those were the good ole days.  I'll just have to enjoy my record setting sun today by sitting in my back yard on my lounge chair!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   PS - Dear Barbara...Carol and I will be thinking of you as we sit in the sun today, wishing we were with you in Sint Maarten.