Happy May in New York City, where I think it’s time we talk about the weather. 

After a prolonged and bitter winter, the transition into spring did not bring the reprieve New Yorkers may have hoped. Save for some isolated anomalies, temperatures on the whole remained unseasonably low for much of March and April, with average temperatures hovering in the 50s rather than the 60s as is typical for this time of year. 

Don’t put your sweaters away, because May is set to bring more of the same, at least for the next couple of weeks. According to John Homenuk of New York Metro Weather, the culprit is a ridge of high-pressure air over Greenland called a high-latitude block, which disrupts the jet stream and pushes cool air over Eastern North America. Call it retribution from our northern neighbors for all that annexation talk out of the White House in January. 

“Expect daytime highs to frequently run several degrees below seasonal averages, with a tendency for more clouds, occasional unsettled periods and reinforcing cool shots,” Homenuk wrote on the New York Metro Weather Patreon. 

Come summer, however, the heat will arrive — relentless and dangerous. Meteorologists are predicting a hotter-than-normal summer, one that could strain the city’s already depleted power reserves. Like a tenant moving into a new, unfurnished apartment, New York is in the midst of a transition from old power sources to new ones that have yet to be fully integrated, creating a window of vulnerability just as demand spikes. 

When millions of New Yorkers shelter inside during heat waves, blasting air conditioners and running appliances, the city may have to turn to emergency measures such as purchasing expensive power from neighboring states or even intentionally shutting down parts of the grid. 

“The end result that we’re trying to avoid is that process of controlled outages. That is a last resort. That is the most undesirable outcome possible,” Kevin Lanahan, senior vice president of external affairs for the New York Independent System Operator, told Gothamist. 

Let this be another reminder, in a city increasingly visited by only two seasons, to enjoy the nice days when they come.

“The small businesses of North Brooklyn, as we view it, are the driving force behind not only the economy of North Brooklyn but also the vibe, the attitude, what makes North Brooklyn North Brooklyn and its unique quirkiness,” said Paul Samulski, president of the North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, who helped spearhead the event.

Samulski founded the expo after attending a NYC Small Business Month Expo a few years ago. “I heard small business owners asking questions that shocked me, because I was thinking to myself, ‘How can they be open if they don’t know this information?’”

Read on to learn more about the Love Local Small Business Expo and how it helps small owners navigate an incredibly complicated business.

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