Evanston RoundTable, Aug. 10, 2023

Is it immodest, unbecoming and possibly imprudent to brag about this summer’s local weather?

Probably, but….

While the rest of the world bakes, floods and/or burns, the Midwest is experiencing seemingly endless mild weather: Sunny skies, low humidity, not-too-hot days and pleasant nights.

Hissing of summer lawns: A lovely dusk settles over northwestern Evanston.

The living, as Porgy and Bess sing, is easy.

Which isn’t to say we haven’t had our share of serious heat, dirty air, damaging storms, torrential rains and basement floods. Average temps in July were in the low 80s during the day and low 70s at night ­– a little on the warmish side but nothing to get in a sweat about.

Let’s agree it’s silly and even tempting fate to gloat about this. Instead, we should be commiserating with our western and southern state neighbors about their extreme heat and our friends to the east over their worsening and lengthening hurricane seasons and coastal floods.

Even San Diego, that mildest of urban climates, experienced a winter and spring of extreme weather.

Part of our knee-jerk boosterism here in the Midwest stems from the Second City (now the third, actually) syndrome, lagging behind both coasts in population, notoriety and recognition. After all, the Chicago area tends to be overlooked –­ the so-called “fly-over country” – when people tote up America’s charms. We don’t have any purple mountain majesties, awestriking national parks or capacious ocean coasts.

What we do have, aside from the city’s dynamism, renowned orchestra and opera companies, outstanding museums and universities, and great natural and man-made beauty, is something Evanstonians enjoy every day, lapping up on our very own miles-long shore line: easy access to the world’s largest system of fresh water. This will prove to be of inestimable value as the climate grows hotter and fresh water supplies dry up across the globe.

We’ve been losing population for years. In the last decade Illinois has shed more residents than any other state. But given the seemingly inexorable trends in weather and drought, maybe Floridians and Texans will start a new migration north.

Snow birds of the world, unite: Winter here is way milder than it used to be!