Over the past few days I've heard plenty of people bemoaning the "end of summer." Many mark the end of the season right at Labor Day, which here in Oregon doesn't make a lot of sense. The weather around these parts stays warm through the end of September, often into October. I can recall plenty of 75+ degrees Columbus Days in Portland. I've even gone hiking on a 70-degree day down at the coast during the first weekend in November.

So while the brats are back in school and the road trips have screeched to a halt, summer hasn't really ended, at least as far as the temperature goes. I say the mark should be moved to around October 15th or even pushed out to Halloween. Once the 31st hits, the chances of another day above 65 is minimal until April rolls around again.

But there's always the occasional week of freaky weather in February. If memory serves, the thermometer rose into the low-80s around Valentine's Day in 2005.