OCEAN CITY, Md. -- The beach wasn't very crowded, and hotels had rooms to spare. Local businesses and officials tell WBOC the weather was a big reason why.
Monday brought cloudy skies to cap off Memorial Day Weekend, but it wasn't entirely representative of the past 72 hours. On Saturday and Sunday, temperatures reached into the mid-70s, and the sun was shining for the most part.
Still, Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin said it wasn't enough to draw in some last-minute crowds.
"Although Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days, if the people hadn't planned to be here, they weren't going to jump in the car that day," said Arbin.
That rang true for resort town hotels, which saw solid numbers on Friday but saw bookings taper off into the weekend.
Keith Whisenant, the General Manager at the Residence Inn, said he was able to fill rooms by making a few adjustments, such as lowering the hotel's rate.
"We picked back up and were fortunate to be able to fill, come close to filling each night, so for us it was great," said Whisenant. "Other stories I've heard around town, they struggled or filled at the last minute as well."
Whisenant said the projected forecast, which in some parts of the East Coast called for sub-par beach weather, kept people at home.
"We are very much at the mercy of what the weatherman says in all major markets, and we're aware of that," said Whisenant.
That said, he is remaining optimistic for the months ahead.
"The short drive destination for a few days is going to become the fad again," said Whisenant. "We are that short drive, we're close to New York, Philly, D.C., Baltimore, even Pittsburgh."
Arbin is also looking forward to what the busy summer season will bring.
"We're close enough that with the cost of gas right now being down, more people are going to be driving this summer, they're going to make the shorter trips," said Arbin. "So I think the real thing is we're going to see crowds this summer, even though we didn't see them this weekend, I just think as the summer goes on, I'm expecting a really boom summer for the Town of Ocean City."
Arnetta Price, General Manager at Professor Hacker's Lost Treasure Golf, doesn't have to look towards the future for brighter days.
Price said this weekend's up-and-down weather worked out favorably.
"If it's cloudy and there's not much sun and it's cool, they're coming out to play putt-putt," said Price.
The success of Memorial Day Weekend in Ocean City was dictated by Mother Nature, as usual.