SAN DIEGO — The “May Gray” sky is impacting the mental health of San Diegans across the county. In fact, we’ve seen cloudy weather and cooler temperatures for a big chunk of 2023, leaving some eager for the return of “Sunny San Diego.”

The sun is shy, the coast is cool and the clouds are stubborn, leaving tourists and locals ditching the board shorts for sweatshirts.

“It’s freezing, “it’s too cold for me” and “I was prepared for warmer weather” were just some of the many repeated phrases shared with FOX 5 as we asked how locals and tourists were coping.

Overcast conditions are standard procedure for this time of year, but the figurative and quite literal low clouds hanging over our heads has begun to put a newfound emphasis on the approaching “June Gloom.”

“You have to acknowledge too that everything we’ve been through over the past years: social unrest. Our bodies are still feeling a hangover from some of those events. We’re still not back to 100%,” explained Stan Collins, who’s a mental health advocate.

While the weather is certainly taking its toll on locals, a gloomy coast is leaving visitors from Ireland shocked and unprepared. Temperatures in Dublin on May 30 average at around 65 degrees and sunny.

“We were definitely expecting the sun, we packed for warmer weather,” said Emily Mcelroy.

On the other hand, the Merican family from Arizona chose to visit San Diego in search for some relief from the desert heat. However, it was too cold for comfort.

“…The ocean’s freezing. I haven’t gotten in yet, the little ones are a bit braver than me,” said a member of the family.

The culprit? A deep marine layer stretching from the beach to the valleys, leaving little to no room for Vitamin D and driving out of towners to shops like Paradise Cove for warmer clothes. However, shop owner David McDaniel says foot traffic is still on the slower side.

“The locals don’t come out when its grey. The locals come out when it’s nice and sunny. The people that come here from out of town, they’re going to come to the beach regardless,” said McDaniel.

While some may feel blue, as the blue sky is still in hiding, Collins says the best way to cope could be as simple as this: “Take a breath, take a beat. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was to just open the front door and walk outside.”