By the middle of the summer, Atlanta had already received more rain than in all of 2012 or all of 2011.
The total stands over 50 inches for the year. The surge of showers has meant dangerous flooding in places, terrible traffic problems, flight delays and, in many metro Atlanta communities, postponed or canceled Independence Day festivities. Not to mention soaked outings or scotched trips to the pool.
But we rise up here in the Phoenix City, right? The City Too Busy To Hate … the rain? Sort of.
Kate Hill found a way to embrace the weather even when it poured on the worst possible day. Her May 4 wedding at First Presbyterian Church in Marietta was to be followed by an outdoor reception. Mother Nature had other plans.
“I actually checked the weather whenever the 10-day forecast popped up. At first it looked like it was going to be sunny,” Hill said. “The Wednesday before the wedding, it changed to 100% rain.”
She added to the precipitation briefly, then dried her eyes and called her wedding planner. After a last-minute hustle, the reception moved under cover.
“We rented two very large tents,” she said. “We had a Home Depot line item on our final bill.”
She and her new husband, Wade Hill, dealt with their crummy luck by posing for cute photos underneath an umbrella shortly after exchanging vows.
“Luckily I have an awesome group of friends who made the most of things,” she said. The “for worse” part of their marriage safely out of the way, the newlyweds honeymooned in mercifully sunny St. John.
Chip Couch, who grew up in Dunwoody and now lives in Suwanee, said his neighborhood’s annual Fourth of July party was postponed and that the rain date nearly got rained out as well.
“On the upside, the temperatures were the most pleasant I have ever experienced for the (Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race),” he said. “Rain stopped right before the race and didn’t start back up until about an hour after I finished.”
Folks at the Atlanta Botanical Garden are even more upbeat about Atlanta’s soaked summer.
“We have had a bumper crop of rain lilies pop up,” said spokesman Danny Flanders. “They love rain more than irrigation. Everyone thinks we planted tons more bulbs last fall when we didn’t add one. They’ve just multiplied like crazy in the wet soil.”
More good news: The garden’s water bills through June were down 34 percent over the same period last year. Much of the garden’s watering is handled by rainwater collected in cisterns, but some portions still rely on sprinklers or hand-watering.
“Staffers are long used to dodging sprinklers on Mondays, the only day of the week the garden is closed to the public and when we can water,” Flanders said. “This summer, wet clothes and running makeup have not been an issue.”
Amanda Campbell Bennett, manager of the ABG’s display gardens, has been on the lookout for damage due to the waterlogged soil. So far, so good.
“Rainy days have not adversely affected attendance,” Flanders added. “In fact, our visitation is up by more than double this summer over last because of interested in our current exhibition, Imaginary Worlds: Plants Larger Than Life.”
Speaking of gardens gone gangbusters amid constant deluges, Linda Morris experienced what she termed a “perfect storm” when rain drenched her Buckhead home right as her landscaper accidentally over-fertilized and just after her long-time gardener quit.
“With all the rain, the front of our home is covered with Boston ivy,” she said. “One morning I woke up and my vines were coming in the windows. I felt I was in the movie ‘Jumanji.’”
Tony Conway, president of A Legendary Event and owner of The Estate events facility, has seen his business affected greatly by the weather.
“We have ordered 10 dozen umbrellas this summer for valets to use for guests at parties,” said. “We have had to add tents to 50 percent of the events that were hoping for outside areas.”
There seems to have been a zero percentage decrease in the number of society ladies wearing stilettos despite the soggy conditions, though.
“There is a price for fashion,” Conway mused.
As co-chair of the Nov. 1 “Meal to Remember” gala benefiting Meals on Wheels Atlanta, he is hosting a patron party for sponsors next month at The Estate. If it rains, he’ll be ready.
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