DATE: Wednesday, June 18, 1997              TAG: 9706180547

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   92 lines

SUN, HEAT, STORMS FORECAST; CHECK GULLS FOR GULLYWASHERS THE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO COOL AGAIN NEXT WEEK.

People searching for a tan on area beaches this week may want to keep their eyes on the seagulls.

If there is ever a barometer for bad weather, it's these feathered scavengers. Their inner sensors alert them to storms, and when they get that signal, they head for the shore in droves, said Bill Johnson, director of the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum in Virginia Beach.

``When the weather is rougher, they're looking for protection,'' Johnson said. ``They'll go inland to Mount Trashmore or the parking lots. They will go to the beach if there aren't a lot of people.''

And storms are predicted for the rest of the week, followed by cooler weather.

The gulls have kept their feet dry a lot this month, as chilly and nasty weather has driven them from the water and put the region on course for a possible record-cold June.

No one at the National Weather Service was ready Tuesday to rewrite the record books, since there are still 12 days in the month. But forecasters said that some record lows have been set and the weather has been ``very unusual.'' The chilliest day so far has been June 3, which ranged from a high of 60 degrees to a low of 54.

And though the weather has been acting more like the June of old this week, with highs in the mid- to upper 80s, indications are that it might not last.

On the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Tuesday, the sands were occupied, but not overflowing, with sunbathers, surfers and other assorted beachcombers. The seagulls, meanwhile, were bobbing on the 66-degree water. By late afternoon, some began to head for shore.

No surprise there, since the National Weather Service is calling for daily thunderstorms to couple with the recent warming trend. Rain is poised to come crashing down throughout the rest of the week, said weather service meteorologist Hugh Cobb.

Next week, expect chillier days more akin to last week's sweater weather. Highs will hover in the 70s to the low 80s, Cobb forecast.

The weather - like the tourist money at the Oceanfront - has been off course along the Eastern Seaboard for the past month or so, Cobb said.

But for the next few days, expect the three H's - hazy, hot and humid - with temperatures between 85 and 90 degrees during the day, around 70 at night.

And keep an eye on the gulls. If they start packing it in, chances are you should, too.

People searching for a tan on area beaches this week may want to keep their eyes on the seagulls.

If there is ever a barometer for bad weather, it's these feathered scavengers. Their inner sensors alert them to storms, and when they get that signal, they head for the shore in droves, said Bill Johnson, director of the Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum in Virginia Beach.

``When the weather is rougher, they're looking for protection,'' Johnson said. ``They'll go inland to Mount Trashmore or the parking lots. They will go to the beach if there aren't a lot of people.''

And storms are predicted for the rest of the week, followed by cooler weather.

The gulls have kept their feet dry a lot this month, as chilly and nasty weather has driven them from the water and put the region on course for a possible record-cold June.

No one at the National Weather Service was ready Tuesday to rewrite the record books, since there are still 12 days in the month. But forecasters said that some record lows have been set and the weather has been ``very unusual.'' The chilliest day so far has been June 3, which ranged from a high of 60 degrees to a low of 54.

And though the weather has been acting more like the June of old this week, with highs in the mid- to upper 80s, indications are that it might not last.

On the Virginia Beach Oceanfront Tuesday, the sands were occupied, but not overflowing, with sunbathers, surfers and other assorted beachcombers. The seagulls, meanwhile, were bobbing on the 66-degree water. By late afternoon, some began to head for shore.

No surprise there, since the National Weather Service is calling for daily thunderstorms to couple with the recent warming trend. Rain is poised to come down throughout the rest of the week, said weather service meteorologist Hugh Cobb.

Next week, expect chillier days more akin to last week's sweater weather. Highs will hover in the 70s to the low 80s, Cobb forecast.

The weather has been off course along the Eastern Seaboard for the past month or so, Cobb said.

But for the next few days, expect the three H's - hazy, hot and humid - with temperatures between 85 and 90 degrees during the day, around 70 at night.

And keep an eye on the gulls. If they start packing it in, chances are you should, too. ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

TING-LI WANG

Ernest Guzman of Hampton takes a stroll on the beaches of Buckroe

Park in Hampton Tuesday. In this ``unusual June,'' beach attendance

has been off course along the Eastern Seaboard.

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