The third week of July produced slightly above average temperatures in the northwest two-thirds of Iowa, with southeast Iowa right on average. We are now entering the second part of the traditional dog days of summer, a period from July 3 to about August 11. It is named for the astronomical pairing of the sun with the dog star, Sirius, the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. Ancients thought the dog star added to the heat of the sun and attributed the star with oppressive summer heat.