Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Spring

Today is the first day of spring and it's snowing. And if the weather forecasters are right, we may have a foot of snow before it's all done tomorrow. As with any weather event, it was the main topic of conversation at work. We checked the weather often hoping we could get home before it got too bad. Among other things we discussed how it is possible to get snow in late March and even early April, but it's rare. Or is it?

For this post, I decided I would post pictures from other years for the beginning of spring. I used pictures within a day or two of March 20--whatever I had. And you know what? The majority of pictures showed snow at this time of year. Sometimes a little and sometimes a lot. I guess the lack of snow we remember, is the snow that melts relatively fast with the warmer days in springtime. Here's what I found.

The beginning of spring through the years.

2018


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012


2011



12 comments:

  1. Isn't that funny how we can forget that winter weather often comes in early spring? I've been complaining about how cold it feels and how there aren't any blossoms on our fruit trees yet this year. Yet, in truth, we don't usually get blossoms until the last week of March, and well into April.

    I hope the snow melts quickly! In the meantime, the yard looks beautiful and you don't need to do any yard work to make it so! Fresh snow has a way of making the outdoors look "manicured."

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    1. Snow really does make everything look beautiful. I love that aspect of it. We won't have fruit trees blooming for a while. That's always a beautiful time. But first, I'm looking forward to some daffodils.

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  2. I enjoyed seeing pictures of the springs of different years! Some years are warmer than others, I suppose. I do remember there being snow on the ground until well into May when I lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin! One year (in the 70s), it even snowed in early June when we were studying for finals! It didn't stay on the ground for long, though.

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    1. Green Bay is colder than here and a snow at the beginning of June would really be a rare event at this location. I spent a summer in upper Wisconsin working and I remember we had our first frost in mid-August. It definitely gets colder sooner there, also.

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  3. What a difference a little bit south makes. It has been cool here but we are in the middle of spring already. Yesterday each time I ran an errand, my car had a new layer of pollen. It rained a bit last night so this morning I see the remnants of a yellow "river" that washed down the gutters.

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    1. My father-in-law only lives an hour south of us and his yard is always noticeably ahead of ours. A little latitude, I guess, can make a difference.

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  4. I was thinking about you when I heard about the latest Nor'Easter! We can generally count on some snow through about mid-April, but that doesn't mean we aren't eager for spring. Last week we kept getting 2-3 inches overnight and then it would melt the next day. Not like the storm you are preparing for! I like your picture log--keeps it real, doesn't it?

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    1. Besides keeping it real, the pictures make me think about my old yard. I haven't quite given it up yet in my mind. I think about how different plants and critters are doing and still think of them of as mine. All of those years of Second Looks and work made me really connected to things. But I have a new place now to make mine.

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  5. Well... March is supposed to be Denver's snowiest month, but alas, recently that hasn't been the case. I felt sooo lucky that we got a few inches recently - but we're still WAY below where we should be, and we're expecting a terrible fire season.

    I could write a huge tome here about warming temperatures in the arctic and its impact on global weather patterns, but I'll spare you. Suffice it to say that I don't think it's entirely your imagination that east coast weather is getting worse this time of year, and I think big storms and weather extremes are gonna become much more common as the arctic continues to warm.

    If, for some crazy reason, you have any desire to join me in geeking out on the subject, this is an excellent (and easily understandable)presentation on the latest scientific thinking on the topic. https://youtu.be/U2FxJelkAtI

    The pictures are wonderful, BTW. Jasper especially likes the little bird in 2017. :-)

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    1. Thanks for the link. Presently, my topic of research is painting oak to cover the grain. I think the mocking bird in the 2017 picture is back. It's hard to know if it is the exact same bird, but it looks like it to me.

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  6. That is fascinating, what a great history of your first days of spring. We had bright beautiful day for the first day of spring, warm and sunny and wonderful. then the next day---a deluge. Temperatures plunged and pouring rain hit and some areas may have snow this weekend.

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    1. I'd rather have snow than cold rain. Nothing seems colder to me than cold rain. Here's hoping that the sunny days return soon for you.

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