Growing up in the Northeast, football weather was very different than it is in  the south. In fact, it has nowhere near the following up north, so I never paid much attention to the weather there.  When I think of football weather I think of NFL games, and usually picture places like Buffalo or New England, so many cold locations for NFL teams. I remember seeing a video of the New England Patriots field in Massachusettes..they were shuveling snow out of the seats. There was so much snow people were sliding down the stairwells on giant snow hills. I picture fans with face masks and ski hats on...with rosey noses seeing their breath.

Here in the South, those images are largely alien to people here. Football season means sunshine, grills, bad tan lines, and HEAT. A day at a college game can require and entire day of recovery...maybe that's why college ball is on Saturday and pro on Sunday? Humidity can be a bear on the body, and the sun is still pretty strong through October here, whereas the UV index backs off just a bit at higher latitudes.

Last year was my first season being a photog for Friday night high school football, another massively popular past time here that was new to my life. When the sun goes down in the south, it isn't til mid October until you can feel that cooler air on your skin. Many times I have seen fields that are built in what looks like a large basin. I have seen fog develop in those low lying fields. It looks really neat . But the one weather factor that undeniably persists through at least the first two months of high school football is how darn humid it is. As we know, humidity rises when the sun sets, as the temperature cools it gets closer to the dew point. Just running up and down the field with a camera I work up a good sweat. It makes me wonder how much fluid those boys are losing sweating in those couple hours of pads.

As we get closer to the fall, people begin to have to dress in layers for those Friday night games. Up north in November however, the only people showing any skin at pro games are the fanatics that paint their chest. It's of a different caliber of cold! I will never forget the most miserable weather at a high school game I shot.. It was early November, so it was cool at night, probably low 50's..but it was raining, and raining hard. It really felt like I was in New England again. I guess I've gone soft living in the Alabama heat, but I'm pretty sure the dismal cold rain of up north didn't seem so bad in Connecticut as it did that night..Brr!! Cold rain feels like it soaks down to the bone.

Just my thoughts this evening as I try and get excited watching college football. I am waiting anxiously for the Patriots to play!!