10 Weird Things Affected by the Lousy Weather

What does the weather have to do with wineries, the Internet and your household bills?

Like it or not, we're all pretty well-acquainted with the rain by now.

But there are probably some weird things you haven't even realized are affected by the nearly nonstop rain and gloomy skies -- such as, what does this awful weather have to do with wineries, the Internet and your household bills?

You might be surprised. Read on for 10 weird things affected by this lousy weather:

1. Wineries are having a tough time. The rain is good for your grass -- but the grapes at some Virginia wineries have suffered due to the unseasonably cool weather, NBC12.com in Richmond reports.

James River Cellars north of Richmond took a big hit on its Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer grapes; co-owner James Batterson told NBC12 that the "best case scenario is half a harvest" for those varieties.

Barboursville Vineyards south of Culpeper estimates a 35-percent loss in Chardonnay and a 50-percent loss of Nebbiolo, NBC12.com reports

2. Horses practicing for Preakness could run into difficulties. While this weekend's Preakness race in Baltimore is a rain-or-shine event, steady showers already interfered with training plans for the favorite in the race.

With rain in the forecast, Nyquist's trainer moved up the horse's Tuesday morning training session by more than two hours, DRF.com reported

3. Your Internet connection may be slower. We know, this is scary. Although storms and extreme heat or cold can be obvious culprits for cutting out your Internet service, when weather is merely icky, we can end up with annoying slowdowns, according to Bandwidthplace.com.

And that's because, just like you, everyone else in your area code is also huddled up on their couches, just trying to stream a little Netflix or Amazon Prime to make it through the misery.

4. Your mood is likely taking a nosedive (for more reasons than just that aforementioned Internet slowdown). Let's face it, there are always some people out there who love cool, gray weather. (Don't ask us to explain this.) But if you're not one of them, you're probably going stir-crazy by now. (If so, check out our guide to 10 (mostly indoor) activities that will cheer you up despite the rain.

5. But allergies (most of them, anyway) are taking a break. One good thing: You've probably recovered from the spring allergies you were suffering from earlier this spring if you're allergic to pollen, which the rain is keeping down.

6. ...Unless what you're allergic to is actually mold. All this rain is leading to dampness in some basements and mold spores in the air outdoors, said Storm Team4.

7. Solar panels are less efficient. If you've got solar panels, you're probably noticing a difference thanks to all these gloomy days.

8. Mosquitoes could be extra bad once the weather warms up. Mosquitoes lay their eggs near standing water; the eggs hatch when submerged, according to the CDC. In addition to the simple annoyance of itchy bug bites, you'll also want to protect yourself from the types of mosquitoes that carry diseases such as West Nile or Zika.

If you have anything outside your home that could collect water -- such as flowerpot saucers, discarded tires, pool covers, trash cans or bird baths -- dump the water and scrub the item once a week, the CDC says.

9. Your household bills might look different. Even though it's May, the unseasonably cool weather means your heating bills might be up. On the other hand, your electric bill might be a good deal lower, since you're probably not running the A/C a whole lot.

10. Are you having an easier time finding parking? Lousy weather generally means more people are staying in -- so if you're finding parking spots a lot more quickly these days, you have the dreary weather to thank.

Contact Us