I woke up Wednesday morning with a cold feeling in my bones.

I pulled up one of the weather apps on my cell phone and discovered the reason — the display said 39 degrees. Summer, I guess, is leaving.

A check of the extended forecast seems to bear that sentiment out. I look at the rundown and see morning temperatures for the rest of this week and next in the 50s, dropping down to the 40s and 30s and then rising back to the mid to low 50s. I see temperatures in the 70s dropping down to the 50s and 60s before going back the low 70s — more like early spring than summer, or should I say more like early fall than summer.

As a southern boy, I tend to get a little uncomfortable when the temperatures start dropping. It means doing away with the shorts and the comfortable loose-fitting short-sleeved shirts that made the summertime bearable. It means cutting back the air conditioner in preparation for moving to the heater to stay warm when the temperatures begin dropping in to the 30s, 40s and 50s for the next three to four months. It also means we should get ready for fickle weather.

One thing that has amazed me about winter in the south is the way it can fluctuate wildly from November through March. I’ve seen days that began with mornings in the low 20s and reach the mid 80s by afternoon. Periods in January where temperatures were more like summer with highs in the 80s for several days while the rest of the U.S. froze and shivered with subzero temperatures and ice and snow.

There have been times during El Niño when it rained for so many days I began to wonder if I should begin building an ark. There have been days of summer-like temperatures followed by days of ice and snow. I’ve attended November football games at Tiger stadium wearing shorts because of the temperatures. I’ve worn shorts and played basketball outside on Christmas Day because it was 80 degrees. I’ve also worn a heavy coat on Easter in April because it was 30 degrees outside.

With fall and winter seemingly making their way into the area, it means I’ll be pulling out the warm clothing and begin putting the summer clothes up for another year — some of them.

Because southern winters can be so fickle and so quick to change, I never put away all of my summer clothes for the winter. My closet has several short-sleeve shirts that stand ready anytime the weather in January of February reaches temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

So in the next few weeks I’ll make the decision of which shirts will be packed away and which will remain out with the “winter clothes.” I’ll check out the coats and sweaters to see if any need cleaning or repair, and I’ll get ready for winter.

And hope summer makes one long, last gasp that lasts until March.

John Surratt is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. You may email him at john.surratt@vicksburgpost.com.