It should be a dry week ahead with above average temperatures for the most part until the weekend arrives, when some colder air will work its way back into the western US. Until then, expect sunny skies under a large flat ridge of high pressure, with temperatures running 5-10 degrees above average. Winds will generally be light in the mornings, with moderate afternoon breezes in the 10-20 mph range.

What follows has absolutely nothing to do with weather (with the exception that it deals with things hot), but it was such an interesting question that I thought I’d share it with you. A reader writes in with the following: “I was on a trip to Ireland this past summer. At every castle they would say burning oil was used to defend the castle. My question is: what kind of oil was used? They did not even have coal oil then.”

Since this falls a bit (OK… a lot) out of my usual field of expertise, I had to do a little research. What I found might change our perception of some very classic Hollywood battle tactics. More on this tomorrow.