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For once, let's not grumble about coming up short against Raleigh and Charlotte. While temperatures there soar well above the century mark, forecasters say we'll trail here by a couple of precious degrees.

Add stifling humidity to the mix and there's no denying we're in the grip of summer's dog days. If we survive this torrid week, the 90-degree highs in the longer-range forecast should feel like a cool breeze.

Hopefully, the blast furnace effect will have eased a bit for the Wyndham Championship golf tournament Aug. 13-19 at Forest Oaks. The downside in switching from a cooler fall PGA tour date is coping with August heat.

But, be it on the golf course, in the backyard or working under the broiling sun, a heat index above 120 is dangerous. It's wise to follow basic precautions such as drinking plenty of liquids, limiting activities and retreating to air conditioning.

The elderly and young children are particularly vulnerable. Plan to check daily on how older family members, neighbors and friends are coping. And don't leave infants and toddlers in cars for even a few minutes to run an errand. The same goes for pets. Temperatures quickly can climb into life-threatening territory.

At home, resist the urge to lower the thermostat below a reasonable comfort level. Although power brownouts are rare here, they're still possible. Besides, Duke Energy says, for each degree below 78, cooling costs rise as much as 10 percent.

Of course, there's always the option of following the example of the Iraqi government and taking off the entire month of August. Your boss, however, might frown upon that choice.

Instead, just hang in there. Days are getting shorter. The football season is just a short punt away.

Chill. Fall's just around the corner.