Rainy weather the last few months impacting Jersey Shore businesses
Since March 1, there have only been four rain-free weekends. Two of them were in early March.
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April showers brought May showers, which brought June showers.
The sun will return in a big way on Wednesday, but is there any hope for the weekend?
All was quiet in Belmar as the rain fell Tuesday morning. Besides the hearty seagulls and a few joggers, two friends decided to make the best of a soggy start, sitting all alone on the beach in the wet weather.
“We knew the weather was not the best, but we had to come to the beach,” said Kayden Susa, of Hillsborough.
“We planned this like a week ago. I’m like, ‘We’re not going to cancel it,’” said Karolina Mategczyk, also of Hillsborough.
If it feels like it rains almost every weekend, making your commute to the shore miserable, you’d be correct.
Since March 1, there have only been four rain-free weekends. Two of them were in early March, well before the shoulder season.
MORE: News 12 New Jersey Weather Center
In a season that’s already short to begin with, the Keansburg Amusement Park says it has experienced at least a dozen rainouts. It not only affects the owners, but it also employs hundreds of people.
Hank Gehlhaus runs the family-owned 121-year-old Keansburg Amusement Park.
“There are so many families here that depend on their children making a good wage so they can help the household,” said Gehlhaus. “We need bright sunshine, 85-to-90-degree weather seven days a week.”
Out of three weekends, the water park saw just four hours of business. The rides are faring better, but Gehlhaus says he's been doing this long enough to know it will soon turn around.
“Every weekend matters in the shoulder season because it really helps establish what we need to do for the summer,” he said.
