Ugh! Weather Ruins Holiday

Weather Ruins Holiday

By Owen Eshenroder (News Staff Reporter)

Some Labor Day!

The calendar may have said Sept. 2, but Washtenaw County residents - along with most people throughout Michigan - were shivering as if it was Dec. 2.

Monday's unseasonably chilly temperatures and nasty rain turned backyard cook-outs into kitchen cook-ins, lawn games into hours in front of the television, and cheery holiday dispositions into dour reflections of spoiled plans. 

The U.S. Weather Station at Metro Airport recorded a high yesterday of 62 degrees, but that came shortly after midnight, when it did few of us any good. During most of the day, the mercury hovered around the mid-50s, and by 4p.m., the temperature was down to 52 degrees and a steady drizzle had chased us indoors

Yesderay's average temperature was about 30 degrees normal, according to a U.S. Weather Service spokesman. 

"It was one of the coldest - if not THE coldest - Labor Days ever in this area." the spokesman said. "It's inconceivable that we could have had a wetter, more miserable holiday."

Last year, remember,  Labor Day was a steamer. Clear skies, sunshine and a high in the 90s. Real Labor Day weather.

Actually, this holiday weekend began nicely. It was crisp but sunny on Saturday, and holiday boaters were out in force on Portage Lake (photo at right). Buy by Monday picknickers at Island Park were bundled-up in heavy clothing around the grills (photo below). Campers at the Waterloo and Pinckney Recreation Areas were discouraged by yesterday's weather, and the campground at both parks were nearly deserted by mid-day. 

"There was an exodus of campers right away early in the morning instead of them hanging around until afternoon," said Norman Roeske, park manager at Pinckney. "Our day use areas were just a total washout... For the most part, it was just a wasted day."

Ike Lundberg, Roeske's counterpart at Waterloo, echoed those sentiments. "They (campers) usually start home by afternoon, but by noon yesterday they were pretty near all gone. It was just too miserable to stick around," he noted. "We gave back a lot of refunds to people who had registered through Tuesday."

City parks and picnic areas in Ann Arbor were largely vacant yesterday, although the Briarwood Shopping Center and other shopping areas were jammed. Many local residents probably used the wretched weather as an excuse for catching up on their back-to-school shopping.

Assistant parks superintendent Ken Harris said the swimming pools at Veteran's Park and Buhr Park tried to open early yesterday, but the weather foiled those attempts and both pools closed for the season a day early.

The Fuller Park Pool did not open this morning. Harris said, but may open later this week if weather permits.