Months of rainy weekends impacting some New Jersey businesses this spring

If it rains again this Saturday or Sunday, it will be the 12th consecutive weekend in a row with measurable precipitation.

Jim Murdoch

May 16, 2024, 4:25 PM

Updated 116 days ago

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Another day of rainy, misty, miserable weather for mid-May and some businesses in New Jersey are starting to feel the effects of the wet spring.
A sure sign that summer is almost here is when crews show up to Jenkinson’s Boardwalk and begin planting imported palm trees. But even the non-native flora couldn’t brighten up another wet, quiet day in Point Pleasant Beach.
“Our numbers are good because people like to come in when there's something to do here,” said Cindy Claus, the director of Jenkinson’s Aquarium.
Indoor boardwalk shops like Jenkinson’s Aquarium still manage to draw crowds, although the seemingly endless stretch of cloudy cool weather does have an impact.
“Not as many people want to be standing in the rain the whole time but you can go inside and enjoy the aquarium arcades in between raindrops,” said Claus.
Weekends have been no better. If it rains again this Saturday or Sunday, it will be the 12th consecutive weekend in a row with measurable precipitation, going back to March 2.
The fairways at Spring Meadow Golf Course in Farmingdale were empty again, except for a couple of players as the fleet of golf carts sat empty just waiting for a sunny day.
“On a typical weekday, I think it’s like 160 to 190 people and today we’ve had six. Weekends are a lot more crowded but it’s having an effect,” said Jim Anderson, an employee at Spring Meadow.
The waterlogged greens take about a day or two to get back to playable conditions, says Anderson.
Monmouth County commissioner Ross Licitra tells News 12 that while attendance at golf courses has dropped by 7% due to the weather, activity at the Manasquan reservoir is on par with last year and the campgrounds at Turkey Swamp Park remain busy, despite the rainy conditions.
And while it is still a bit too early to know for sure, the News 12 Storm Watch team is tracking the potential for some more rain for Memorial Day weekend as well.