Is summer here yet?

Remember these sayings as a child? What goes up must come down. The other shoe always drops. My favorite as a child was that a hot summer meant a cold winter. Well this year should bring in a tropical winter correct? What happened to our summer this year? It seems like we had two springs and went right into fall.

I have been saying for months that we are experiencing the craziest summer I have experienced weather-wise. The term “unseasonably cold” has come out of my mouth more times than I’d like to admit. It’s starting to warm up a little now, but nothing significant. This summer season has pretty much ruined most of summer’s precious commodities.

The short summer season has spelled tough times for employees who rely on tips earned during the summer months to get through the winter. Although in August we have had some decent but cool weather, the season started late, and things have been different here than in years past.

With a washout in June and so-so weather in July it really just started feeling like summer I think about two weeks ago. Most businesses have seen sluggish sales in the typically busy months of June and July more to the weather than the economy.

Gratuity-dependent workers have griped that this is the “summer that never happened” for weeks, and although August is in full steam, it may not be enough to save those who live off unemployment checks when seasonal businesses close in the fall. Speaking with a local restaurant owner last night, he stated, “ even with seats full in July, front-of-the-house staff used to turning tables over several times in one night have been lucky to get a second seating in some cases, and full reservation books are for many a thing of the past.” He also said, “with the possibility of walk-in customers, managers have been reluctant to cut staff, so more employees are sharing tips that don’t measure up to the numbers earned in previous years. “ With a down economy the weather has not co-operated at all.

This summer's cooler-than-normal temperatures may short many farmers, whose crops are growing slightly behind schedule and could face problems if fall weather shows up too soon. Few farmers planted their crops on time this year because rainy, cool temperatures persisted into the summer months, although crops in the county have only been slowed by a couple of weeks, agriculturists said.

The National Weather Service has reported temperatures in the region have been below normal since May, with July temperatures below average by 5 degrees. It reported the current summer average temperature as 6.85 degrees below normal. For crops that grow best in warm weather, such as corn, the cooler temperatures could cause a late or underdeveloped harvest.

This year’s summer weather has put a damper, no pun intended” on everything from tourism to crops. It was good for the movie industry as it had the best summer ever at the box office with people flooding to the theaters, again no pun intended. Problem here was there was not a decent Hollywood movie that came out except for Jules and Julia.

Summer is supposed to be the time of the year that rejuvenates the mind body and soul. This year my internal battery never became fully charged. Let’s just hope that the fall will fill that void.

Check out the youtube links on right on our summer weather

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