ECOWATCH: An important reading adventure for August

August weather can often make some people uncomfortable, and that has made the month known as “the dog days of summer.” The Farmer’s Almanac says that the name is linked to the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star.  Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks believed that the rising of Sirius in mid-to late summer caused the temperatures to rise and conditions to become less comfortable. Though temperatures remain hot and conditions humid in many parts of the northern hemisphere throughout the month of August, the dog days officially end on August 11.      While the dog days of summer may officially be over, no one has told the powers that be to shut the heat off, as so far, August is headed toward becoming the second-warmest month, with temperatures in the high 90s in Florida, while July 2023, at 99 degrees, is listed as the highest on record on Florida’s temperature chart.