I once heard someone say that teachers coined the phrase "The Dog Days of Summer" because they all got to lay around like dogs and do nothing during the hottest part of the year -- like dogs get to do every day of the year. 

Of course, that's not true, but do you know where the phrase really came from?

We usually think of summer as that time between Memorial Day at the end of May and Labor Day in the beginning of September.  Officially, that's not really the case though.

Meteorological summer runs from June 1st through August 31st -- typically the hottest 3-month period of the year.  Traditionally, however, we use the astronomical definition of our seasons. 

So here's more about "the first day of summer"... and for that matter, "the first day of winter".  We'll try to make sense of what's going on during summer solstice and winter solstice.

Trying to understand a hurricane is tough for even the most seasoned meteorologists. 

That makes big storms like hurricanes really tough to explain to kids. 

Here are some great websites which help do just that...

Why is that rain cloud so dark? 

That's one of the most common questions I hear when making weather presentations. 

It is also one of the simplest to answer. 

Read on!

You've seen storm chasers and weather spotters featured on the local and national news. Plenty of times, right?

What is the definition of a storm chaser?  A storm chaser is defined as a person who pursues imminent or existing severe thunderstorms, for any reason, and operates independently or as part of a research effort.  Source

Ever wonder how you can become an official weather spotter for the National Weather Service?

Well, I did it. I became an NOAA weather spotter. Here's how I did it...