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| Sailboat in the fog |
In all the years we've been vacationing in Florida, this is the most unusual weather-wise.
Even in years when we had only 7-8 days, a day of rain was unusual. I remember weeks of unremitting sun when I wouldn't even unfold my sweatshirt. Tampa Bay boasts of so many days of sunshine in a year (sources vary in their reports, from a low of 246 to a high of 360) that sun lovers want to hop on a plane right away, and the fair skinned like me pack plenty of sunscreen.
My resident weather watcher started looking at St. Pete Beach weather in January and by February he thought we might have a "cooler than average" month of March. He was right. The first couple of days we were here, I was the only swimmer whenever I went down to the pool. The "wind chill" was such that I started using the hot tub for the first time ever, learning -- rather late in life -- that a few minutes of heat will keep me warm until I get back to our condo.
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| Flooding on Gulf Boulevard |
Last week, the famous Sunshine Bridge was closed twice because of fog, trapping commuters on the bridge for seven hours last Tuesday. Our resort handyman told me a closing of the bridge increased the commute by 75 miles. That's if you're smart enough to avoid the bridge when fog begins to form.
Saturday we experienced heavy rain and today feels like the Twin Cities on a cold Labor Day. It's my sister Marilyn's last day in Florida, but the pool will have to suffice. Today is no beach day! But it is Florida and the sun is shining.
