Chicago's ninth wettest season on record has some Chicago businesses that rely on sunny skies and warm weather feeling like the summer's been a bummer.
From rec softball and volleyball leagues to lakefront Jet Ski rentals, businesses say the combination of rain and lack of truly hot days have made this summer difficult, and some are feeling the pain more than others. Storms canceled one day of Taste of Chicago back in July.
While the average temperature for the season was almost perfectly at the 30-year average of 71.8 degrees (this season was 71.8 degrees), some summer stats have been noteworthy. During meteorological summer - the three month period of June through August - there were only three days that reached into 90-degree temperatures, a statistic WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling calls "way off" from the normal 17 days.
And if it seemed like it didn't stop raining, there are records to back that up as well. During the summer, 17.25 inches of rain fell in the city, making it the ninth wettest on record, according to the National Weather Service.
Take into account the 25.09 inches that were recorded at Midway Airport, according to Skilling, and it is the wettest on record since that site began keeping track of rainfall in 1928. On top of that, the Chicago area saw 6 percent more cloud cover than the average this season.
Mother Nature has had a field day with Chicago Sport and Social Club, the largest organizer of recreational sports leagues in the city. The league typically reschedules about 2,000 games due to foul weather in a given year according to Jason Erkes, president of the company. However, since the beginning of June through August, 5,000 games have had to be moved, with some leagues that began in May still playing ball.
"Anybody that runs an outdoor business this season is feeling the effect," he said.
Erkes said the rescheduling -- 7,000 games in all when you count the spring season -- is an inconvenience and organizing nightmare as opposed to a financial loss. He said this is the worst season he can remember for the 25-year-old business.
"We reschedule every single game [that is canceled], but at the end of the day it's more frustration than anger [for players in the leagues]," he said.
For Chicago Water Sport Rentals - which rents Jet Skis, kayaks and other water equipment at the 31st Street Harbor - much of the early season was washed out. The company has seen 17 days of no revenue this season through August because of a combination of small-craft advisories that keep some equipment out of the water due to high waves, rainy days and cancellations from customers because of cooler weather.
"I could probably put a kid through a year of an Ivy League college with the amount of [revenue lost because of] cancellations I have had," said John Gibbs, who owns the company. "It was a cooler summer, it never really hit its stride. It wasn't what people were hoping for after the winter we had. I was really ready to have some scorching hot days."
Despite the cancellations and days without revenue, Gibbs said he still has seen an increase in business this year. He said he's hoping the summer weather will extend into fall, as his rental business continues operating into October.
Not every business has been waterlogged however. Along the riverfront, water taxis operated by Wendella Sightseeing tours set a record for August with 78,799 rides - second only to the company's record in July with 82,000 rides.
That's despite getting a later-than-normal start because of ice on the river, according to the water taxi's Chief of Operations Andrew Sargis. However, business has not gone completely unscathed from the weather. Sargis said rising river waters because of flooding from rain has kept some boats out of operation more often than usual this season.
"Every year it seems like it happens once or twice," he said. "But this year it does seem like it's happening more."
The water taxis have to halt operation when the river rises because it can become unsafe to load and unload passengers at docks, and also because some of the boats cannot clear the bridges on the river. The same goes for operations at Shoreline Cruises, which also operates a fleet of 12 boats for sightseeing tours and water taxis.
Amy Hartnett, the director of sales and marketing for Shoreline, said business has halted about four times throughout the season due to the high river waters.
"Each summer is different, each season is different," she said. "At the end of the day, it all kind of washes out."
For Erkes, who is still rescheduling softball, volleyball and other rec league games because of the recent rains, a good fall season is what will keep the frustration of the summer at bay.
"Summer is the best thing we have to offer here in Chicago, and when we don't have it, it makes people question, 'What the hell am I here for?'," he said. "We're hoping we at least get some payback in the fall."