BP, I can't help with your weather (sorry). But somewhere in your very interesting synopsis must come the question of expectation management. It's an unfortunate fact that people nowadays want everything, and want it instantly. That's no doubt why we in a large part of the western world live in 5x3 McMansions, drowning in debt.
I can't help but think that having the freedom to fly, more or less as we want, is a very special thing, regardless of whether we do it in a Cub or a Cirrus. To reference my earlier post, the kids I see training in the LSAs are reveling in the simple joy of flying. I don't think we spend enough time promoting the flying experience, and we do students an injustice by demanding that very decent small aircraft be loaded with the most powerful engine and latest avionics.
If you equip some of the better LSA trainers with an 80 hp (looxury) engine, and strip the panel back to the basics, there are still some excellent training opportunities at very reasonable rates, at least in my part of the world. Not for everyone, I recognize, but a great way to get more people in the air, and more hours under their belts.