And it was all grey… Photo: Elmo Hernandez
I first heard of the concept of “June Gloom” shortly after I moved to southern California. I remember thinking, “Oh, you poor bastards. Cloudy days are your hell? Must be nice.” It’s amazing what nine years here can do.
June Gloom, also known as “May Gray” and sometimes “No Sky July,” is the colloquial term for a weather pattern in the region that results in overcast cloud conditions and cool temperatures in the late spring and early summer. Southern California is known for being perpetually sunny, and most people that don’t call this region home are unaware of the concept of June Gloom. After spending the bulk of my life in New York, including several years in cloud-laden western New York, the idea of people being bummed out by some cloudy weather with temperatures in the 60s seemed ridiculous, and perhaps that’s how I’ll come off to some people now.
We are currently knee-deep in the worst bout of June Gloom I’ve seen in my near-decade here, and I have to tell you that it can be the real deal. We are spoiled in Southern California; there is no way around that. Seemingly endless sunshine can be quite addictive, and your body gets used to getting its fix. Exposure to sunlight increases the level of vitamin D in your system. Vitamin D deficiency has been found to increase your chance for depression.
I am not saying that I am depressed because of June Gloom, but I have noticed some changes in my behavioral patterns. I have been sleeping later and feeling generally less motivated. One activity that has really suffered has been my surfing. It hasn’t been the run of mediocre swell, nor the hordes of sharks that are apparently congregating just north of where I live. I can only chalk it up to June Gloom.
I am not one to miss many days in the water, but this stretch of weather has seen me duck out on more sessions than I probably will all summer long. Some days I realize that it’s already 11 a.m. and I haven’t even checked the surf report or taken a walk over to the coast for a look. This is not my normal.
I’m not looking for pity here; that would be ridiculous. I live within walking distance to the Pacific Ocean in a place where the average weather report is 70 degrees and sunny. What I’m trying to convey is what this June Gloom has taught me. While I already had respect for surfers that lived in less hospitable regions than myself, I now have a heightened appreciation for those who battle adverse conditions on a regular basis. Cold, dreary coastlines still house their fair share of wave-riders, and I tip my hat to them. We are spoiled where I live, and it’s good to get a reminder of that every now and then.
Now that I have figured out what’s been happening to me, I’m taking measures to combat it. Setting an alarm to avoid sleeping in, watching a surf clip or two in the morning to get the juices flowing, taking my morning coffee over to the coast; these are things that can help dig me out of the rut I’ve fallen into. I’m determined to win out in the end, and the promise of sunny summer days ahead certainly helps. But here’s to those that don’t have that luxury and yet forge ahead anyway. They are sources of motivation. To them I say, “Thank you.”
