Looking forward to fall

By Cecil Chandler
Feature Reporter
Published: August 31, 2008

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Cecil’s World in Print. It is starting to cool off a little bit with less humidity and I am enjoying it. I don’t know about you, but the older I get the less I can stand the heat. I already hear some of you saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Believe me, if I was in the kitchen, I would get out of it.

Can you believe that summer is almost over and fall is just around the corner? I do not mind when the weather is warm, but when it reaches 100 degrees and the humidity is so high you can’t breathe, I am ready for fall. For some people like my wife, summer is the best time of the year. Debra spends all of her free summer time on the beach, catching some rays. Now, I do enjoy some of the benefits that come along with summer, like daylight-saving time. It gives you a lot more time for walking on the beach, riding with the top down and being outside. That, however, is not for me, I am a fall and winter kind of guy. I love it when it starts getting cool.

Which of the seasons do you like best, spring, winter, fall or summer? I thought it would be cool to find out what season of the year some of our News13 personalities enjoy most. Morning meteorologist Chris Still says he likes the changing of the seasons more than anything, be it from winter to spring or summer to fall, “but if I had to pick a favorite, I’d have to say spring. Now that I’m a homeowner, I have planted trees and shrubs around the house that begin to grow in the spring, which is very exciting to watch. I’ve also taken up gardening and my garden never seems to do too well in January.” Morning news anchor Lyra Manning says spring is her favorite season. “It’s not too hot and not too cold. Spring is when I take my wintertime indoor activities outside!” she said. “I’ll start exercising outdoors, going to a park (to) read a book, and I’ll take a walk instead of driving. I also enjoy having a nice meal while enjoying the fresh air.” News reporter Jody Barr: “My favorite season is the fall. Two reasons: one, football and the second is the end of the dreaded summertime heat! There’s nothing like heading back out to the Kelleytown stadium in Hartsville to watch a Red Fox game in the fall. It’s the way the sun sets in the fall that just looks and smells like football season and a time to break out the jackets. So, over any other season, I’ll take some shorter days, dying leaves and a little high school football, please.”

The hottest temperature ever recorded in the United Sates was in Death Valley. It was Sept. 12, 1922, when the temperature reached 134 degrees. Can you imagine that? Now the hottest temperature ever recorded in South Carolina was in Camden. In June 1954, the temperature climbed to a record-breaking 111 degrees. In case you are wondering, the hottest place on Earth was recorded in September 1922. It reached 136 degrees in El Aziza, at the northern part of the African continent. The coldest temperature ever recorded in South Carolina was in Caesars Head, located in the upper part of the state. In January 1985, a temperature of 19 below zero was recorded. Now that is pretty cold to me, but that is a far cry from the coldest temperature on record. In July 1983, Vostok, Antarctica, made the record books with a whopping 129 degrees below zero. I don’t even have a thermometer that will register that low. I can’t imagine being that cold. Now if I were planning a trip to Antarctica, where would I find enough clothes to stay warm? Just kidding, I am not going there. I love cooler weather but nothing that cold.
In closing, I want to remind you that the four seasons were put on this earth for all of us to enjoy. That’s it for another Cecil’s World in Print. Stay cool and I’ll see you next week, right here in the Morning News and on the tube.

— Cecil Chandler is a veteran reporter at WBTW News13. His column appears Mondays in the Morning News.