We have some big changes coming our way weather-wise. A cold front will move into the region Thursday, kicking up some strong winds (and likely kicking off another Red Flag Fire Warning). Here in the valley, the rain shadow will probably keep most of the rain from the system up in the mountains, but a little spillover on the west side of the valley is a slight possibility. Temperatures will fall to the mid-70s Thursday, and will struggle to get to 70 Friday and Saturday. Another cold shot of air moves in Sunday, dropping our temperatures further into the low 60s. The skies clear out by the end of the weekend, and sunshine returns next week with a warming trend.

We’ve been talking about the benefits of swamp coolers, but there are some drawbacks. Because they do move a lot of air, some may find them a little too drafty for their likes. If they are in-window units, they can be noisier than forced air systems. And if you really want them to run at full efficiency, you do need to do some periodic maintenance, since the minerals in your water will precipitate out on the pads, and they will need to be cleaned, replaced or otherwise treated.

All in all, I’m cheap enough to overlook their shortcomings.