Some years, we enter March with feet of snow on the ground, yearning for a break - anything that will signal that Spring still exists, somewhere. Like last year.
And the year before.
But then there was the incredible year of 2012, when everything was a month or more ahead of schedule. But even 2012 can not compare to this year.
The forecast for next week:
Tuesday: high of 60F.
Wednesday: high of 66F. (18.8C)
Thursday: high of 62F.
It sounds great, doesn't it?
Not so fast.
In 2012, that year when we had forsythias and Bradford pears in bloom in the third week of March, we also lost a lot of our apple crop due to a late frost. And, our maple syrup crop wasn't all that great, either.
I fear for our maple syrup crop this year, too. The conditions just aren't right.
In weather, unusual isn't always good. The norm of upstate New York winters are cold and snowy in March. This mild winter (except for a -10 morning) may mean survival of this camilla, though. (You aren't supposed to try to grow camillas in upstate New York - not hardy enough,but my camilla, one of the hardiest available, is still hanging on. I think.)
But, someone is going to be paying for this mild, almost snowless (perhaps a record) winter.
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| I hope the owner of this didn't mind me taking a picture |
It would be terrible if the cost of our unbelievable winter was losing another apple and maple syrup crop, never mind the people who have already lost months of income from the lack of snow.
Sometimes, indeed, March can be the cruelest month.
The climate change is so alarming that it is showing up in subtle yet pertinent ways so close to us...If only we were ready to do something about it
ReplyDeleteIts amazing how different our worlds are :)
ReplyDeleteOver here, in the southern tip of India, we are sweating just sitting inside the house with the fan on and cursing the incessant heat and praying for any sign of a cold temperature. Snow, of course, is absolutely unheard of here.
Here in DC, our weather is matching politics. 68 F one day, 2 inches of snow the next...
ReplyDeleteI remember my life in upstate NY (western, really) so well. Cold and grey winters. And then I moved to sunny climates. The weather is all messed up now, that climate change is happening. Unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteOh, so true. The unintended consequences of a "mild" winter. Do they still say "If March comes in like a lamb, it leaves like a lion"? This one should have some mighty fierce claws all over, if it holds true (as it often has in the past).
ReplyDeleteYou're right. When I used to be so happy here in Austin Texas during the winters it didn't rain people would get irritated with me and tell me how bad it was for the environment. Even though I didn't cause the drought :-) it made me think twice.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this enjoyable post
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are issues. I hope everything turns out okay.
ReplyDeleteIt's true. So many folks who rely on the snow for their livelihoods or look forward to great ski conditions would not have been thrilled with this winter. This weekend does promise more wind and snow, though. It's crazy.
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