Rain was in the forecast at the start of Memorial Day weekend, and in Asbury Park on Friday the beach looked more like March than late May. The temperature hovered around 60 degrees, winds blew at 15 to 25 mph off the Atlantic Ocean, and the boardwalk was peppered with people bundled up while the sand sat empty after a pre-summer heat spike had packed it earlier in the week.
For Briana Louise, who was on the shore to celebrate Sarah's birthday, the weather did not match the plan. She said it was really cold, added that the wind was insane, and called the morning sunrise trip a miss for beach summer. Another beachgoer said the forecast had promised clouds and 60 degrees, so the group expected calm conditions, but found it very windy and very cold instead. Soraya Perez, who said she left Florida for the Jersey Shore expecting the full beach experience, said it was not giving that, though she hoped at least one of the days would let her tap into it.
The weekend mattered beyond the discomfort. Memorial Day is a vital kick-off weekend for businesses along the Jersey Shore, where owners depend on a short seasonal stretch to make their numbers. Matthew Sarrel said Ruby's Bar and Grill has a 13-week window to make money and that losing weekends and holidays because of the weather hits small businesses hard.
The weather pattern was expected to turn more favorable after the rough start. Bands of rain showers with embedded downpours were moving from south to north ahead of an approaching area of low pressure, with highs topping out in the mid 60's under cloud cover on Friday. Clouds and rain were expected to clear out by late morning Saturday, and temperatures were forecast to reach the low 70's. By Memorial Day, the forecast called for dry weather and highs well into the 80's.
That leaves the holiday with a familiar Jersey Shore split: a cold, windy opening day, then a rebound that could bring the crowds back. Friday may have been the only chance for people to enjoy the beach before the better weather arrived.
The contrast was already clear by nightfall farther west at Coney Island, where the boardwalk was packed on Friday night even as the early holiday weather kept Asbury Park beachgoers in sweatshirts. For shore businesses, the answer was straightforward: the weather was going to hurt at first, but the weekend still had time to turn into the kind that matters most.
