Community Corner

How Do You Handle June Gloom?


By Brad Kava

It happens like clockwork.

Memorial Day weekend and the week leading up to it was sunny, clear and it looked like the endless blue summer might last forever.

Then, all of a sudden, it was like someone opened the vacuum cleaner bag and let all the dust out. They call it June Gloom, and while it's often linked to Southern California, Santa Cruz and Capitola certainly suffer from it, sometimes for weeks and even months.

 The skies get cloudy all day, looking like a big smudge pot. It was like they turned the globe and the West Coast slipped down to the Southern Hemisphere with the opposite seasons. Temperatures dropped and Santa Cruz summer looked like London winter.

Tourists wander downtown Santa Cruz or in Capitola shaking their heads. They've laid out $1,000 a week for their dream of sunny beaches...and they get the dreaded June Gloom. Why did we leave sunny France, Germany, England, Iceland, Alaska, China, Japan...for this? 

Then, you've got our neighbors scorching over the hill in record heat waves, lining up in snail-slow traffic to hit the beach, and when they arrive, they realize they forgot their sweaters and winter coats.

It's Christina Glynn's job to put the sunniest spin on all things Santa Cruz. She runs the county's Convention and Visitor's Center, which caters to some 3 million tourists a year. She doesn't use the word gloom, nor is it on the CVC's website, at SantaCruz.org. 

"We have experienced mornings where the marine layer is thick," she says. "However it tends to burn off by lunch time followed by sunny skies."

The CVC gives the weather forecast on its website, but doesn't tell people from sunnier climes to pack their winter gear. And, shhh, no reference to Mark Twain's quote about the coldest winter he ever felt was a summer in San Francisco either.

"With any beach community, there is a bit of give and take," she says. "Personally, I don't think it's that bad. I was in Tarisa, Spain in April and it poured the whole time. Did we let that stop us? No, we were out and about and it was great."

With an ever sunny spin, she adds: "A lot of our visitors come from the Central Valley where it's 100 plus degrees and they are actually relieved to get out of the heat. And, really, it's just grey. It's not cold. When people are on vacation I don't think they mind."


Capitola Mayor Stephanie Harlan also likes to put the city's best foot forward for tourists, even on the cloudy days. She greets a lot of them working as a volunteer at the Capitola Museum.

"Capitola is fun even when the sun is not shining," she says. "We get many visitors from San Jose, and the Central Valley who are happy to get out of the heat. 

"The Wharf is fun to walk out on and watch the people fishing,  have lunch at the Wharf House restaurant, and look at all the photographs of people and the fish they caught on the walls of the Boat and Bait Shop next door. 

"The view  walking back is a spectacular vista of Capitola Village not seen unless you are on the wharf or in a boat. You can fish from the wharf or rent a small boat to go fishing. The shops are fun to visit, and there are many nice restaurants, coffee houses, ice cream stores, wine bars, and even a second hand store that donates all profits to local organizations. 

"The tile art project along the sea wall and around the palm tree is a unique look at Capitola from the point of view of Capitola residents. You will see a whimsical variety of themes created to celebrate Capitola."

What do you tell out-of-towners about our sometimes cloudy skies? 

How do you face the June Gloom? 

Ever thought of doing a beach house trade with someone on the Mediterranean for the summer, or actually done one? 


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