The (lack of) Summer of 2011

If you live or know anyone who lives on the East Coast of Canada, than I'm sure you have heard about how Spring arrived and decided to stick around much longer than it usually does. It seems everywhere I go, everyone is talking about the weather and wondering when we are going to get our share of summer. Since June, we had maybe three decent beach days and even when the sun does come out, it doesn't stay out for long. It has been constant rain, fog and temperatures hovering well below normal. While everyone else further West is suffering in heat waves and high humidity, we, on the East Coast, are bundled up in our winter coats and have the heat turned up. I'm pretty sure I would prefer the heat to this weather I have been waking up to every morning. Winter is long enough and I wait for ten months of the year for summer to arrive so that I can get outdoors! Speaking of getting outdoors, I had a camping trip planned for later this week. My plans were to leave on Saturday and not return until next Sunday. Well, that went out the window after I checked the long range forecast! Rain, rain, rain and more rain for at the least the next week and a half. I contacted Hotwire and canceled my rental car and rebooked it for the following week in hopes that the forecast may change for the better. Here's to hoping because rain or shine, that is the only time I will be able to go. If it rains, I will either have to cut the trip short or grin and deal with it if I am going to get any camping in this year. Changing my reservation could also work in my favor for other reasons that recently creeped up on Maritimers this week. Apparently Cape Breton has a gas shortage which is causing quite a panic among locals and tourists alike. I'm hearing that a refinery was hit by lightning and gas stations in the area are turning people away because they have run out. On the other hand, I'm hearing that there is no need to panic as supply will meet the demand. I can't seem to get a straight answer from any source but maybe it is best to wait it out and see what is going on. I also hear meteorologists are watching a large hurricane heading this way in the near future. After my experience last summer, I discovered that hurricanes do not make for good camping unless you enjoy bailing the water out of your tent with a Styrofoam cup and nearly having you and your tent blow away not to mention having to sleep in a damp sleeping bag for the rest of your trip. Although the weather may not be cooperating with my plans as much as I would have hoped, I plan to enjoy the rest of the summer, or lack thereof as best I can because the snow starts in November around here and doesn't stop until May. Maritime summers are usually great with warm to hot temperatures and little precipitation. Thinking about this is what gets us through those long, cold winters. All along, they had been predicting a dry, hot summer for us but, as we should all be learning by now, it is impossible to predict weather when you live in such close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Maybe we are being punished for having such high summer temperatures and an above normal number of sunny days the last two years in a row.....or maybe Summer is just a little late this year....here is to hoping! http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/08/01/ns-gas-shortages-monday.html http://www.capebretonpost.com/News/Local/2011-08-02/article-2688160/Fuel-fears-false/1 http://hurricane.accuweather.com/hurricane/index.asp http://www.almanac.com/weather/longrange/NS/Halifax http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/storm_watch_stories3&stormfile=storms_lash_new_brunswick_020811?ref=ccbox_homepage_topstories http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cans0145