Dreary June weather sinks attendance at Pittsburgh area pools

Sylvan Pool manager Nancy Tarella said the Harrison pool typically attracts more than 200 people a day during the summer swim season.

But this June has been anything but typical. Lately, Sylvan’s attendance hasn’t been breaking 30 people.

“This is not a good pool season so far,” she said. “June has been cruel.”

Area pools are taking a hit early in the season with the region seeing nearly 6 inches of rain since Memorial Day weekend. Pools managers said they’ve had to close early or close for entire days in the few short weeks they’ve been open.

Even when they do remain open, the threat of rain or thunderstorms has kept people away, leading to a decline in revenue from admission and concession stand sales.

“In the start of the season, we normally gross several hundred dollars a day at the snack bar,” said Richard Kern of Springdale Township’s Bouquet Park Pool. “When it’s wet and rainy like this, a lot of times, we’ll end up only getting $10 or $15.”

Tom Green, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, said the region received 3.29 inches of rain in just the last four days of May, during what was the first week of operation for many pools.

The area received an additional 2.73 inches in June through Tuesday, which is 0.16 inches above normal, according to weather service data. Eleven of June’s 18 days saw some precipitation, and just one day was clear, records show. The average temperature of 65.6 degrees in June was also nearly 2 degrees below normal, according to the weather service.

Tarella said the rain requires more work because staff have to lower the water level during storms so the pool doesn’t flood.

“That’s money going out the drain,” she said of the water that has to be drained. “Hopefully, Mother Nature fills it back up.”

Bill Ryder, manager of Hampton Community Pool, said the pool has been closed for three full days and closed for part of two more days so far this season.

“We’re definitely waiting for the weather to break,” he said.

Janet Schork, director of Parks and Recreation for Sewickley Township, said saying that the season hasn’t been ideal at Crabapple Park & Pool is an understatement.

“It’s been really rough,” she said. “We’ve had very few people over the last week.”

Schork said it’s also been hard on employees, who have to take unexpected days off, a sentiment Tarella echoed.

“Our college students are losing money,” Tarella said. “Our younger kids aren’t learning what it’s like to go to work.”

Trudy Ivory, manager at Veterans Memorial Pool in Greensburg, said the pool tries to work with patrons if the weather is uncooperative.

“We allow people to leave and come back the same day,” she said. “We have paper bracelets we give out.”

Ivory said even having a heated pool can’t get people to come if the weather isn’t nice.

“We are lucky that our pool is heated and our water is probably around 82 degrees,” she said. “But, if the sun isn’t out and there’s a breeze, it’s just not the kind of atmosphere where people want to be in the pool.”