After a record high day on Friday, temperatures will begin to moderate just a bit as a low pressure trough passes through the Pacific Northwest, dragging a dry cold front through our area. Skies will remain clear Saturday as afternoon winds will kick up into the 15-25 mph range with localized gusts into the 30s. High temperatures will fall to the mid-80s Saturday and then to the lower 80s Sunday before rebounding back to the mid to upper 80s on Columbus Day Monday.

While talking about why a blanket keeps us warm, I mentioned that we humans are endothermic animals. Chuck McCuskey took issue, saying, “We are exothermic, not endothermic.” I am guessing Chuck has a background in chemistry, since an exothermic reaction releases heat, and since we generate heat, we must be exothermic. But biologists don’t think that way. They classify warm blooded animals as endotherms (endo=within, and therm=heat) to describe how mammals regulate their body temperature by generating heat from within. It can get confusing when nomenclature crosses scientific disciplines, but isn’t consistent.

And in case you are wondering, a cold-blooded animal isn’t an exotherm…it’s an ectotherm.