Soggy weekend forecasted

Right now, it doesn't appear Mother Nature is going to cooperate for the holiday weekend, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Binghamton.

"It doesn't look too great," said meteorologist Michael Jurewicz on Thursday. "As of now, it looks like Saturday rain will happen a higher percentage of time."

Jurewicz predicted "hit and miss" showers Sunday and Monday, with little sunshine peeking through on either day.

Temperatures, he said, will range between the upper 50s to lower 60s on Saturday to between 60 and 65 degrees on Sunday and Monday.

An upper-air storm system generated in the Midwest is to blame for the gloom that is supposed to settle over the entire Northeast this weekend, Jurewicz said.

Rain or no rain, local law enforcement agencies say they will be out in force, looking for speeders, drunken drivers and people who don't wear their seat belts.

Sobriety checkpoints will be set up locally over the long holiday weekend to monitor for drunken drivers and other vehicle infractions, state police Troop C Capt. Kevin Molinari said.

The increased patrols, he said, will accompany the nationwide Buckle Up campaign patrols that have been in place since May 19.

"The Buckle Up campaign that runs between May 19 and June 1 involves at least 500 agencies, and it focuses on the holiday period, when there is a substantial increase in traffic," Molinari said.

"It's not about making arrests, it's about getting people to voluntarily comply with the law," Molinari said, noting that a state police website contains information on where and when seat belt checks will be happening throughout the weekend.

"It's a fact: If people don't speed, wear their seat belts and don't drive drunk, they will save lives," Molinari said.

In recent years, Troop C officials have predicted that about 20 drinking-while-intoxicated arrests would be made over the long weekend, and between 500 and 600 traffic tickets will probably be issued.

Last year, there were no drinking-and-driving-related deaths reported in the area over the Memorial Day weekend.

An estimated 35 million people will be traveling 50 or more miles from home during the Memorial Day weekend, which is a positive sign, said Michael Butler, president of the Oneonta-based Tri County Motor Club Inc.

"It's not bad, considering the war, the SARS scare and everything else out there," Butler said.

Gas prices have come down just in time for the weekend, which is considered the official kick-off of summer, Butler said.

The national average gas price is now $1.50, down from the $1.72 average in mid-March.

Eighty-four percent of Memorial Day travelers will hit their destinations via car, Butler said.

Rain may threaten, but some people plan to enjoy whatever good weather they can get.

Otsego County Tourism Director Deb Taylor said she'll be at Otsego Lake bright and early Monday morning for the start of the General Clinton Canoe Regatta pro-class race.

"I'll be there at 6 a.m. to watch them," said Taylor, a regatta veteran. "To me that's Memorial Day in Otsego County.

The 41st annual regatta starts today with festivities at the Sidney American Legion. It culminates Memorial Day with a 70-mile race down the Susquehanna River, from Cooperstown to Bainbridge.

A host of other area holiday parades and events in Otsego, Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties mark traditional Memorial Day celebrations, including the annual parade in Oneonta.

The city's parade will kick off at 10 a.m. at the Main Street entrance of Neahwa Park.

After this year's hard winter, Memorial Day — soggy or not — is going to be welcome, Taylor said.

"All I can say is, thank God it's here, after all that snow."

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Jill Fahy can be reached at jfahy@thedailystar.com or (607) 441-7221.