Below normal amounts of snow and higher than normal temperatures
I even gardened on Jan 6. Never before in my life — but that afternoon it was 11 C and partly sunny. In fact, there was no single event that that I would even recognize as a genuine snowstorm. Of course, winter isn’t over yet. But what I call mud season seems to have been here from November on, and now we’re in the thick of it, (March being the start of “real” mud season).
The weather office reports that we received two-thirds of the normal amount of snow, 60 centimetres instead of the average 93 cm so far. But unlike a normal winter, the snow never stuck around, so it seemed like less because we had so many days above-freezing temperature.
In fact, from November through February, our temperatures were 2.5 to 4.0 C higher than average. January was much milder than the norm: -0.8 C instead of the usual -4.6 C. February was 0 C compared to -3.6 C. December was 1.7 C compared to 0.8 C, and November was incredibly mild, 7.8 c compared to the norm of 5 C.
While mild winters like this are very pleasant for winter-hating human beings, who appear to be in the majority – driving is easier and there is less shoveling – this kind of weather confuses birds, plants and animals that depend on nature to cue them as to when spring is here for real.
In an interview in the Hamilton Spectator, Royal Botanical Gardens head of conservation Tys Theysmeyer says that the biggest problem will be the water cycle, which depends on spring runoff from the snow melt. If we get a dry spring, that could mean a lack of moisture during the crucial beginning of the growing season.
Other effects of the non-winter, according to the story in the Spectator:
- Some migrating birds stayed here. (I saw a blue heron at my local golf course in January.) A heron was recently spotted in Hamilton Harbour, something that is virtually unheard of in February
- Maple sap is flowing more than two weeks ahead of schedule, according to Westfield Heritage Village. Yields there are expected to be 20 to 40 per cent less because of freezing and thawing through the winter.
- Grape growers are worried their vines will start budding, only to have temperatures slide back into a deep freeze which could seriously damage them. Growers may have to use wind machines to mitigate the effects of a sudden chill.
- This could also be a problem for other fruit growers. For example, apple or peach trees could blossom too early, only to have their flowers killed off by a spring frost.
- Spring bulbs such as crocuses and snowdrops are starting to flower weeks ahead of their normal window.
- In my garden, the hellebores are budding already, and we had one in bloom in January. Daffodil foliage was poking out of the ground all February.
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Good Morning Yvonne: Pretty much the same situation here, Southern New Hampshire and they are saying we are now a Zone 6. Vernal pool did not totally freeze this winter, Daffodils are comping up all over and lots of other plant have expanding buds looks like they will blossom early. While filling the bird feeders the other day noticed that the frost was out in the first inch or two of many areas around the gardens. We now have about 12″ of snow on the ground, March is starting off like a good old fashion winter.
Have a great day,
John
Yes, a very unusual winter here. This week the redwinged blackbird arrived – I think it is early although I have to admit that I don’t have any records of their arrival in years past.
Lene: Here the red-wing blackbirds are back around March 12. I haven’t heard them yet, but I suspect they will arrive early.
It wasn’t much of a winter here in Austin (8b) either. Only one hard freeze, and that was early on. We’re now fully in spring. Strange weather patterns indeed these days.