Hershey & Weather Forecasting

[Ed in Maine]

I love going to Hershey and have been there in all kinds of weather since the late sixties but this year I was blindsided! I waited till Oct. 6 (Sunday), to make a decision to go to Hershey from Maine. Old cars are my hobby and even if I don't need anything, I love to go to Hershey to just smell that mix of cooking food, rust, mildew and old grease and oil! When I looked at the long range forecast on the Weather site, I could not believe my good fortune. It was sunny weather all the way from Tuesday to Saturday. I call the campground and booked a three nights stay. My wife came with me, she goes to the outlets and I go to the flea market. This is not a cheap trip, it is a major financial decision.

Wednesday was great and with a deteriorating forecast I walked the Orange, Green and South Chocolate Fields. Finally called it quits at 5:00 PM with sore feet and hips!

Thursday began with some light rain, then sprinkles but with an umbrella, I was able to walk the North Chocolate field and Red fields. The vendors stuck it out with most under cover and others with open tables that were covered briefly until it rained harder. The heavier rain held off until 2:30 PM and I called my wife and told her it was over. I was amazed how much ground I was able to cover and the number of things that I was able to find. We left the Hershey grounds and went back to Elizabethtown for an early dinner and did some laundry. It was still raining when we got back to the tent at the campground at 5:30 PM. Not much else left to do but to hope things would be better Friday morning, have a glass of Cream Sherry and do some reading. Then, the skies opened up. That tent was pounded continuously from 6:00 PM until 7:00AM with wave after wave of heavy, heavy rain. It is a fairly new tent but the rain found its way through the nylon sides of the tent where the bunks were up against the fabric. We stayed dry in the middle of the tent but the air was so tropically damp and in spite of being dry everything did get damp. It was so noisy in the tent you could not have a conversation. You were always worried that if the wind increased or if it started to thunder, we were going to have to sleep in the car. Finally, at 7:00 AM I was pleased that my wife was still speaking to me and the rain let up and stopped for about 45 minutes. We packed the tent into a garbage bag and got on the road.

I still can't get over how wrong the weather forecasting was from Sunday to Thursday, but if you love Hershey it was an adventure! Ed

[ford3]

LOL, i wish i could get job that pays you for being wrong over 50% of the time, those weather forcasters are in an enclosed temp controled building and dont have a clue whats going on out side, once a weather forecaster in los angles calif said it was sunny out side with a few cloyds, lol it was pouring like there was no tomorrow, he was reading from a script and he was totally unaware of what the weather was out side

[JtownJoe]

It sounds like it was quite an adventure at Hershey. The weather forecasters are not very accurate it this area, I know how bad they blew it on this weekend, daughter lives in Lancaster and said their pool was within 1" of overflowing, a lot of rain! I hope your trip home was a little smoother than your stay.

[Mitch//pa]

i was going to go thursday but bagged it late wed night and glad i did. its not worth getting sick over

[Skrain]

This time of the year, If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute, and it'll change!

[Tom Wesenberg]

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I was hoping to make it this year, since I've missed it for about the past 7 years. Now I don't feel so bad now about missing it this year again.
Even if the weather would have been good, my leg is still messed up from my October 1st Model A trip to Milltown.

[mhsprecher]

Well, Tom, make plans for next year. The weather can be all over the place, I remember the mud and rains and floods from the 60s or 70s, but often it is great. I was going to drive my A, but with the way the weather was looking and the way it rained on Friday, there was no way. I could have made it yesterday, but it would have meant leaving at 6 AM or sooner. You just can't do it all.

[gpits68]

We were there from Tuesday until Saturday . I read that we got nearly 10 inches of rain while we were there . Someone said it was 1/4 of their annual rainfall and I believe it . Still had a great time and found things I wanted . The show field on Saturday was not too bad considering . I am already looking forward to next year . Might take a pontoon boat next year .

[peters180a/170b]

Friday late afternoon i was watching the water rise up to the black top parking lot from the grass Island between the orange field.When that hit , it was time to leave our flea market spot and head for dinner.... Saturday turned out to be a nice day for the show... God loves SHOW CARS ! FINE POINT CARS !...TRAILER QUEENS !....l.o.l.

[brum1]

Was there Wed. through Sat. Rain & all. Found the elusive jack handle for $10 (saw them for 100+ on ebay)

While standing in front of someone's table the owner called to his partner to pull the Model a muffler out of the trailer and put $30 on it. I waited to see what it looked like and it was brand new/never installed.

after those deals the rain was just water

[Tom Wesenberg]

One year I waited out the rain on Friday then made one quick round in the chocolate field on Saturday morning. A guy had mint rechromed original 1929 bumpers, and my brain must have been water logged because I only bought the rears. He wanted $50 for fronts or rears.

[theHIGHLANDER]

I left at 11am on fri. I too got pouded in the campground and couldn't believe how wet the inside of an enclosed trailer could get with the rain outside. My little heater did nothing to keep it all dry. I got soaked all the way through just packing it up to leave and didn't see clear sky until I got to Gio's BBQ. Even after that I'd passed through a few drizzle spots until my last fill up at the 20-something mile marker on 80. Sat and Sun were spent drying out everything including the inside of the trailer in 70s and sunshine, in MI no less!! Oh well, that's Hershey. We've been spoiled the last 3-4 years.

[bogiediver]

That's why I refer to them as the 'Weather Liars"...

My wife says the Monday forecast that says the weekend is going to sunny is the 'suicide prevention forecast'.

Someone said getting paid for being wrong 50% of the time - wish those around here were that accurate.

The only weather report you can believe is the one about yesterday.

[buddridge]

Looks like your complaint should be directed at a higher power. Stuff happens.....as it has to all of us.

[woodiewagon46]

If you want to see something interesting try to obtain a copy of the weather page of the USA Today, for Thursday and Friday. The wether map is totally clear from Denver east, except for a dime sized patch exactly over Hershey. Makes you think the AACA has pissed off the weather God's.