It may have felt like it took forever but summer is finally here - not only on the calendar but also by the temperature. Beach days are officially back. From sitting on the sand to the middle of the lake, people right across Simcoe County are ready for the season to get going. “It’s really great you can come down for a walk,” says Linda Lyons, a Barrie resident. “You don’t need your winter coat on - it’s beautiful weather, it’s calm today, it’s very calm.” Beaches Centennial, Johnson’s, Minet’s and Tyndale beaches in Barrie will have lifeguards back on duty starting Friday. In Orillia, 17 lifeguards will have eyes on both Tudhope Beach and Couchiching Beach by the end of the week. “Making sure our water is free of hazards, getting all of our equipment ready to make sure it’s operational and getting our parks and beaches nice and clean for all of the public that is gong to come down this weekend,” says Meghan Tibbett with the City of Orillia. “Orillia is beautiful,” says Ben Winger, an Orillia Resident. “It has the arts scene, bars, whatever you like. Enjoy the summer.” Splash pads The splash pads are already running in the sunshine city. In Barrie, City staff say the splash pad at Lampman Lane Park is open and the one at Heritage Park pad could be open by the weekend after much needed repairs. What kind of weather will the summer bring? So, what kind of summer can we expect? Who better to ask than Dave Phillips with Environment Canada. “July and August together will be a little warmer than normal,“ says Phillips. ”July itself might be normal, but August will be kind of warmer than normal. So when you add the two together it’s going to lean on the warm side." Residents are ready for that warmth. “You know when we’ve had a brutal winter and we move into a perfect summer like this? I think people are ready and raring to go out and do stuff,” says Josh Osborne, a Barrie resident. Steven St. Onge, owner of St. Onge Recreation in Barrie, says there’s no question the weather a his business and he couldn’t be happier to see summer arrive. “Weather is everything to us. We are a seasonal business and we need the seasons,” says St. Onge. Phillips says we may need a little patience for the hot heat but it’s coming and he says he doesn’t think people will be disappointed. Environment Canada is calling for El Nino come winter, according to Phillips. We’ve had 28 El Ninos since 1950 and what makes this one different, is the super charge effect that’s expected. “El Nino is a surface current and it’s the warmer water. And what it does, is it drives the atmosphere and causes more Pacific air than Arctic air,” explains Phillips. “So that is the big difference. We’ll see warmer temperatures and the precipitation is likely to be rain rather than snow.” Phillips says this El Nino forecast is drawing the attention of people around the world and it could be something we don’t soon forget.
