Weather dreamy but dogs days aren't done

Mic Smith
The Post and Courier

Debbie Fisher (left) and Sarah Watson (center) receive yoga instruction from Bill Stewart during an informal lunch time yoga class Tuesday. The three work for a local law firm and had great weather for their weekly yoga routine at Waterfront Park in Charleston.

Tourists took to the sidewalks, a businessman sprawled on the grass to enjoy a book and three colleagues from a local law office spent their lunch break doing yoga at Waterfront Park.

Last weekend, the Charles- ton area was granted a reprieve from the sweltering heat of summer.

The lower temperatures had many locals opening windows and turning off the air conditioning, but meteorologists suggest that people shouldn't tamper with the thermostat quite yet.

"It is going to stay fairly cool for a little while longer," AccuWeather meteorologist Eric Wilhelm said. "But there is still some summer left to be had. We'll be back to above-normal temperatures by the early part of next week. We'll be back in the 80s, and quite possibly, the lower 90s," Wilhelm said.

For some, the sudden temperature change also triggers illness. Dr. Sumita Debroy of Park- wood Pediatrics sees more asthma cases during the months of extreme temperature changes, which coincides with the start and end of school.

"When you have the extreme temperature changes from hot to cold or cold to hot, you start seeing a lot of asthma flare-ups in those who already have asthma," Debroy said. "We've also been seeing a lot of croup."

Asthma flare-ups occur when lungs react to irritants and airways in the lungs get smaller, and croup is a viral infection that comes with a barky cough, Debroy said.

Debroy suggests that in order to prepare for the extreme temperature changes, parents should dress their kids for the weather, not the calendar. "Just make sure you're dressed appropriately; dress in layers," Debroy said. "You can always take off a layer."

But for now, Bill Stewart and his colleagues will continue to enjoy the breeze and fresh air.

On Tuesday, Stewart, a self- proclaimed computer geek from Buist Moore Smythe McGee P.A. law firm, led an informal lunchtime yoga session. Dressed in workout shorts, Stewart squished his bare feet into the park's soft ground. He instructed two colleagues on how to do an extended side angle pose while they stood near the shade of the trees.

"Most of the summer we were out here every week sweating ourselves to death," Stewart said. "But today the temperature is perfect. There's a wonderful breeze. We're enjoying the fresh air. As far as we're concerned, this is what Waterfront Park is for."

"Next week we're going to have every attorney out here," Stewart joked. "We go out and do it for fun, so we can stand being inside all day."

Reach Aubrey Straub at astraub@postandcourier.com.