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Coronado Weather Jul 07

June Gloom

As I look outside, I have to remind myself that it really is summer. With the Coronado weather being what it is, it doesn’t feel like summer at all.

They are saying that it is just June gloom carrying over into July. The mornings are gray and cool. It was even misting this morning. Sometimes the sun will burn off the thick marine layer for a few precious sunny hours. At those times, the sun is strong and standing in the direct sunlight feels hot. Yet there has been a cold breeze for a few months now that makes it cool in the shade even when the sun does manage to make an appearance.

I sit here wearing shorts (a concession to the fact that it is summer) and a sweatshirt (a concession to the chilled air flowing in through the sliding glass door of the balcony).

I’ve just read an article about the massive heat wave hitting the East coast and I realize that living in Coronado I have forgotten how hot the summer can be in other parts of the country. The contrast is especially true with today’s weather.

Having grown up on the East coast in the Mid-Hudson Valley, I can remember the suffocating heat and humidity that was summer. While I grew up in the country, I lived in new York City for six years and I remember a summer when my rommates and I sat through three showings of the same movie just to beat the heat. As I read of people’s creative ways to try to escape the heat and the worries of those whose health issues make the heat a very real danger, I guess I can tolerate a little gloom.

And, the weather reports are predicting sunny afternoons this weekend. Perhaps summer will make an appearance after all.

In the meantime, my thoughts are with those suffering through the heat wave. I hope that they will be safe and stay healthy.

Coronado Summer Solstice Jun 21

Today is the summer solstice and officially marks the start of summer in Coronado and elsewhere.

The first day of summer has dawned…cloudy. It is what we southern Californians refer to as “June Gloom”. A heavy marine layer – basically a fog bank that develops over the ocean – settles in overnight and lies sleepily between the earth and the sun, blotting out any ray of sunshine.

This time of year, I don’t need to look at the weather report to know that by noon the sun’s strength will burn through the marine layer forcing it back out to sea until sundown.

It is called “June Gloom” because it is a weather pattern that occurs during the month of June. In recent years this phenomena has started to infiltrate the days of May and is called “May Grey”.

With “May Grey” there are fewer days where the sun breaks through. With “June Gloom”, the cloudiness we wake up with tends to give way to the sun at some point during the day.

As I see children young and old filling the streets of Coronado whether walking, cycling, heading for the beach or just enjoying our small community, I am reminded of my own summers back East.

I have fond memories of long fun-filled days shared with family and friends. My mother used to lightly sing the Summertime, Summertime song. I had no idea where it came from, but I loved listening to its upbeat tune.

If my uncle were around, he would protest, “No, no, that’s too quick, summertime is about living easy.”

And he would start singing “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. Although I preferred my mother’s catchy tune, I loved listening to my uncle sing. He would close his eyes and sway just a bit as he sang us his tune of summertime.

Whichever rhythm describes your summer, I hope you have a sun-filled, safe and happy one!

The Coronado Cookie