We were sure that by now we'd see the sun, and plenty of it. But the rainy weather that has so far taken summer hostage isn't ready to hand it over yet, meteorologists said.
If they're right, the beginning of July will be relatively wet, much like June, which had an abnormally long stretch of rain.
So where's summer?
Think mid-July, according to meteorologist Alan Dunham of the National Weather Service in Taunton.
Still, he said he believes the sun will appear for Independence Day on Saturday.
"It's not totally doom and gloom," said Dunham. "There's just a 30 percent chance of rain this holiday weekend. You'll see more sun and some hotter weather. It's hit or miss."
"But I'd still bring the umbrella," he added.
A break in the clouds may be no more than a tease for sun worshippers, however.
Monday, rain is expected to return.
New Hampshire has received 6.46 inches of rain for June, according to the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine. That's more than double the average June rainfall of 2.31 inches, making it the sixth soggiest June in New Hampshire history.
The Merrimack Valley actually hasn't seen that much rain in June, by comparison. Some 3.15 inches fell last month, slightly more than the average of 3.12 inches.
"The precipitation amount hasn't been that bad," Dunham said. "It's barely above normal. It feels worse because we've just had so many days of precipitation, even if it's just a drizzle."
There have been 15 days of measurable rain in the Merrimack Valley for June, 18 days for New Hampshire. And temperatures haven't risen above 80 since late May.
"It's just depressing. I don't even check the weather forecast anymore," Jennifer Ryan of Methuen said as she left Panera Bread in North Andover yesterday.
"This weather gets to you. It really does. It's so gray. It makes me want to go home and get under a blanket," she said.
While it's affecting people's attitudes, it's also having a dramatic effect on many businesses' bottom lines.
Yesterday, lifeguards sat around bored, looking over nearly vacant foggy beaches. Mini golf courses were empty and batting cages closed. Outdoor cafe seating — the sign of summer for many — was covered in raindrops. Swimming was replaced with fishing, and summer destination spots have all but become ghost towns.
At Salisbury Beach State Reservation, some people had their tents set up under tarps and canopies to stay dry.
"Sure, I'd rather be battling a sunburn, but we're making the best of it," said camper Barry Martel of Lyndeborough, N.H.
Ticket sales at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, N.H., have suffered from the onslaught of rain and drizzle. The park, which opened the last weekend in April in 90-degree weather, closed early several days in June.
"Being an outdoor facility, we're very weather dependent," spokesman Chris Nicoli said last week. "We've had to close early more than we'd like to."
All the business is going to indoor venues — bowling alleys, pool halls, restaurants, movie theaters, malls — anyplace where people can go to get out of the house without getting wet.
Ted DiBurro, owner of Academy Lanes in Bradford, said the rain has helped bring in business that the down economy had taken away.
"We're doing better with the rain," DiBurro said. "We get busy days here and there, especially now that the kids are out of school and parents need to find something to do."
Beth Bailey, a manager at Cedarland in Bradford, said she has started seeing people playing mini golf in the rain.
"It's funny. It's like people have gotten used to it and just want to get out," Bailey said. "You wouldn't think anyone would be out. If one hole is too waterlogged they move on to the next."
Joe Bolis, who mans the visitor center at Hampton Beach, said people are still coming.
"They rented these cottages, so they're still here," he said. "They're looking for beach alternatives — bowling, movies. And the sun comes in and goes out. ... People are watching for the sun. This weather is crazy."
As horrible as the weather is, people aren't packing up and flying to Florida quite yet.
People are making car trips up north to places like the White Mountains for their Fourth of July vacations, said Eleanor Baker of the Merrimack Valley AAA chapter. Travel is only predicted to be down 1.9 percent from last year.
"People are looking for hotels and motels rather than camping spots," Baker said.
Forecasters said the rain is the product of a high-pressure system that is pressing unseasonably cool air down from Canada. While they imagine that will have to break up at some point, it's not happening next week.
It might be a byproduct of cabin fever, but some people are even starting to find silver linings to all this rain.
Bailey said she hasn't had to worry about sunburns with the 100 to 200 children that go through the Cedardale summer camp every week.
"The sun would be nice, but we haven't had to worry about sunscreen most days," she said. "And that's a project with all these kids."
Staff Writers Ali LaFay and Roger Darrigrand contributed to this report.
