I'm often asked what I find most fascinating about the weather. Quite honestly, it's not just the storms, be they hurricanes or blizzards. Itís not just the heat of summer or the icy cold of winter. What I like the most is the variability of the weather - and not just the changes from one day to the next - but also how the weather on a given day of one year can be so different from the same day of another.

Speaking in monthly terms, that kind of variability was certainly evident these past two Julys. This July, only 1 90-degree day. July of last year, 20 90-degree days. This July, 4 to 8 inches of rain in most places, with measurable rain on 15 days of the month. July 1999, only about an inch in most places, with rain on only a handful of days.

With such a contrast, the inevitable question is: how can a month of weather be so different from one year to the next? I'll offer a few perspectives tomorrow night.