Warmest-ever spring sends heat waves to tourism market
It’s been the hottest spring ever in the contiguous US—by far: The months of March, April, and May clocked in at two degrees warmer than the previous record, said USA Today. So what’s the impact been on tourism?
The effects of weather or heat waves can be deadly: Two British tourists have died while hiking Gran Canaria as the island was in the grip of a heat wave, according to the UK Telegraph wire.
At least six others "suffered health problems," the Daily Mail website indicated.
The two victims, in their 70s, died in separate incidents as temperatures soared to at least 40 C, or 104 F. The others that suffered health problems were in their 60s, and were among a party of hikers that included one of the deceased.
Weather warnings for the heat, attributed to hot air from Africa, had been issued by Canaries authorities.
That’s an extreme, of course, with a more likely result easily predicted even by non-experts: an increase in beach business.
So there’s even more timeliness to Dr. Beach Professor Stephen P. Leatherman’s recently naming the 1.5 mile long Coronado Beach in California as No. 1 in the US. It was the first time the University professor named a California beach No. 1.
The US record spring came on the heels of the fourth warmest winter on record in the US.
"Thirty-one states were record warm for the season. Only Oregon and Washington had spring temperatures near normal," said the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).
Other impacts on tourism:
—The Federal Reserve’s Beige Book report on the economy said the warm spring had boosted tourism, bolstering everything from Florida visits by foreigners to ticket sales on Broadway.
—Restaurant sales rose by double digits in January and February, months when cold weather keeps many consumers home, helping calm fears that gas prices would slash discretionary spending.
The heat is expected to continue: In its summer forecast released in May, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said that about three-fourths of the nation — from the Southwest to the Mid-Atlantic — should see above-average temperatures from June-August.
By David Wilkening
David
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