Warmth and frequent sunshine have generated prime conditions for water parks this summer.
Snö Cove, the water park at the Snö Mountain recreation complex in Scranton, sold more than 4,000 season passes, up from 1,800 in 2011, general manager Mark Verrastro said.
In 2011, Snö Cove attracted 43,000 visitors, and turnout this season had exceeded 86,000 by mid-August, Mr. Verrastro said.
"We doubled our visits from last year," he said. "It's been our best year to date."
Consistent temperate weather helped drive attendance through the season at water parks.
Regional temperatures topped 80 degrees 12 times in June and 29 times in July, according to data compiled by the National Weather Service in Binghamton, N.Y., at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
Although average daily high temperatures for each month were only minimally above normal, there was no rainfall on 18 days in July and only five days with more than one-tenth of an inch of rain, according to NWS records.
Through the first half of August, high temperatures topped 80 degrees on 11 days and there were 10 days with no rainfall.
"It's been a great summer," said Megan McHugh, marketing director at Camelbeach, the water park at the Camelback ski resort complex in Tannersville. "It's been hot and people have been looking for places to cool off."
The Monroe County complex invested about $3 million in 2011 on an additional speed slide and an enclosed water slide.
In 2010, the World Waterpark Association, a Kansas City-area trade group, ranked Camelbeach 20th in U.S. attendance, with 368,000 visitors.
Ms. McHugh said turnout dipped in 2011 from a rainy August, which included a tropical storm.
"Mother Nature is making it up to us for last August," she said. "It's been consistently hot."
Heat waves in the Midwest and South have pinched attendance at water parks in those regions, but the industry overall is experiencing a strong season nationally, said Aleatha Ezra, spokeswoman for the World Waterpark Association.
"This has been a solid year," she said. "The operators feels like they have had good turnouts."
Contact the writer: jhaggerty@timesshamrock.com