Summer's last hurrah

Fall is approaching, but summer is hanging on. 

At least for now.

Marie and Andrew Snyders took their twins, Vivienne and James, to the park to get some fresh air under a shady tree on Friday with temperatures in the 70s.

“I love days like this, these are my favorite,” Marie said. “Right at the end of summer, where it's still a little bit warm, a little bit cool.”

As the days get shorter, even enjoying the outdoors from indoors becomes an opportunity to take advantage of the weather.

“I like having the windows open,” Andrew said. “In the late fall and winter, you can't really do that. It's too cold.”

The National Weather Service projects temperatures in the mid-70s, touching the 80s, to start next week. The warmest days will be Sunday and Monday with expected temperatures of 78 and 80 degrees.

“It's not abnormal to see high temperatures in the 80s through September,” NWS Meteorologist Valerie Thaler said. “Sunday and Monday will be nine to 10 degrees above average for this time of the year.”

Plenty of families were taking in the sunshine before the calendar officially switches to fall on Sept. 22. 

Howard and Nancy DeLonge took their grandson, Jameson Rutherford, to Honeysuckle Beach on Hayden Lake to catch some sun and spend a day on the water.

“I wanted to take him jet skiing,” Nancy said about her grandson. “We went to Lake Pend Oreille over Labor Day and it rained all seven days.”

Rutherford’s a fan of swimming, fishing and jet skiing, but said he’s ready for wintertime and the snow that comes with it.

Once Wednesday rolls around, temperatures will still be in the low to mid 70s as it starts to cool down. 

“Once we get later into the summer and the early fall, our sun angle gets so low that it’s almost impossible to really see high temperatures," Thaler said. 

These last bits of warm weather matter for moms like Meg Barinaga, who brought her nearly 2-year-old daughter, Veronica, to play on the swings. Soaking up the sun at the park was Friday’s plan to burn off the toddler’s energy before nap time.

“I feel like once it starts cooling down I have to pack just in case it rains, just in case it gets too windy or if it's too cold,” Barinaga said. “We are right in the sweet spot where you can walk around without it getting too hot.”

“She still asks to go to the beach every day,” Barinaga said.

Just because the Fahrenheit is falling doesn’t mean there aren’t things to be excited about as the year is drawing to a close. 

“I feel like toward the end of every season, I'm ready for the next one,” Hallie Dawson, who brought her child to Finucane Park, said. “There’s less smoke, cleaner air and a slower pace of things. I’m looking forward to typical stuff like family gatherings, warmer meals, that kind of stuff.”

    Andrew and Marie Snyders enjoy the warm weather with their twins James and Vivienne on Friday.
  

    Howard DeLonge and Jameson Rutherford sit in the grass at Honeysuckle Beach before hitting the water on Friday.