So, what has happened to summer?

There's so much talk about the cooler-than-usual temperatures that the National Weather Service put out a statement yesterday titled What has happened to summer in Southern California. The explanation is simple (ellipses are theirs):

For the better part of the past two and a half months...an upper level trough has been located along or just off the West Coast. This has maintained a significant marine influence across coastal and valley areas of southwestern California....

The presence of the persistent trough has been a factor in preventing the typical decrease in low clouds and fog this summer. In addition...ocean water temperatures are below normal...so daily sea breezes have been extra chilly...especially near the immediate coast.

After a June in which temperatures were below normal across most of southwestern California...July continued to be very cool. in fact...it was among the coolest Julys ever recorded across portions of the Southland.

At Los Angeles airport...july 2010 tied with july 1948 and july 1965 as the coolest since records began there in august 1944. The average temperature for the month was 65.7 degrees...or 3.6 degrees below the normal average of 69.3 degrees. The average high temperature for the month at Los Angeles airport was a chilly 70.5 degrees...4.8 degrees below normal...and by far the coolest since 1944.

Some people are loving it, some are tired of shivering. "While waiters in Venice have had to hand out blankets to rooftop lounge patrons, kids in Sylmar have been able to frolic in an unusually temperate county park," says a story at ZevWeb. In any case, it's supposed to be warmer this weekend.