06/21/11 First Day of Summer???

Summer "officially" began today at 2:16pm (CT), but if you look outdoors, it to some folks it doesn't really look or feel like what you would think it should for the first day of summer. For folks in Arizona, California, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida the sun is shining and many have a heat index above 100°F. Normal for summer right?

What about the folks in Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa where it is not only a washout, but temperatures are in some places 10-20° degrees below normal. Feels more like Spring or Fall in those places.

Then there's the folks in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana that are experiencing seasonal temperatures, but flooding rains with some severe storms as well. But the lucky ones, like those in Washington, Oregon, Montana , Nevada, Idaho, Vermont, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, Oklahoma, and Arkansas are having temperatures right around normal with sunshine. So whether you like a cooler, rainy summer, or a dry, hot summer, I guess there is a perfect first day of summer out there for every type of person today.