Below-Average Temperatures Leave Some With Summertime Sadness

CBS New York ^ | August 1, 2014 6:38 PM | Cindy Hsu

[TBP]

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The area is on track for our coolest summer since 2009, but that’s leaving some people with seasonal depression, CBS 2’s Cindy Hsu reported. Staten Island high school seniors Gabriell Vinci and Antoinette DiStefano said summer is going by way too fast.

“It’s very depressing,” Vinci said.

Even though summer is only halfway over, Donna Barnes said she is feeling the frantic rush.

“I have to admit, I’ve got a little bit of a panic of like there’s so many things that I wanted to do that I haven’t done yet,” Barnes said.

Barnes said she is trying to slow things down with pictures; she snapped one of the green trees in Central Park during the summer in the same spot she took a picture of snow-covered trees back in February.

Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert said this year’s summer sadness has a lot to do with the weather.

“Following the long, cold winter, they just expected a really long, hot summer, so they’re not seeing that,” Alpert said.

As CBS 2 reported, this July was the coolest one the area has seen in five years and so far, there have been no heat waves.

Back-to-school sales are already in full swing and best friends Anya Milberg and Lyla said they feel the summer rush.

“It goes really fast because then suddenly you’re back at school and then you’re like, ‘Oh no, winter is coming, it’s going to be so cold,’” 10-year-old Anya said.

Candice Hoyes said she is feeling it too, especially with her daughter growing up so fast and at summer day camp for the first time.

“It does feel shorter, it feels like it flew by,” Hoyes said.

Meanwhile, children like James keep dreaming and told CBS 2 he wants the summer to last a whole year.

[Comment Not Approved]

Been really hot here in Montana. When you live half the year at 45 degrees or less, 70’s feel real warm ... 80’s feel very hot ... and 90’s + are insufferable.

50’s and 60’s are the best temps for me.

[Patriotic1]

So what does that mean?

[Justa]

It means solar flux output was 25% less vigorous this solar max than previous. A corresponding deficit can be expected as the solar cycle wanes (solar activity decreases) for the next 5 years. The lower solar output is visible in a reduction of sunspots.

Solar output warms the upper atmosphere via gamma rays hitting the ozone layer. Less warming of the upper atmosphere means increased radiational cooling of the lower atmosphere. Which means cooler summers and colder winters until solar output increases -in six years.