- Eric Fisher
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Weekend View – Saturdays and Sundays from 7-11 a.m
Excitement over Arctic cold in mid-February? I don’t know about you, but I’ve never put that sentiment and that time-frame in the same sentence before. But it’s entirely possible that you’re looking forward to curling up next to a fire, listening to a cold wind blow outside, and seeing the thermometer stuck in the 20s this weekend. That’s just how bizarre the winter of 2011/12 has been so far.
January went down as the 4th warmest across the lower 48, and set records at a ratio of 22 record highs for every 1 record low! A paltry 29% of the country is covered in the white stuff, compared to 53% on this date last year. Alaska is the only state stinging from this winter, where snow has piled up well over 300″ in Valdez, and doesn’t show many signs of stopping.
Now some of you may be grinning ear to ear about this. ‘Keep it in Alaska where it belongs’ you say. Golf in February? Why not. Plants blooming already? Flower Power. But I’m willing to bet some of you are simply asking – what’s going on?
Essentially, Europe is stealing our season. The pattern there is almost identical to the one we saw here in the States last winter. Persistent cold and slow-moving snowstorms, yielding the most brutal temperatures they’ve seen in two decades across the pond. The famous canals in Venice have partially frozen over, and France set a National energy usage record on Tuesday of 101k MW. These are the story lines we grew so weary of in New England.
So no, the whole globe is not on fire right now. In fact, the U.S. sticks out as the most above-normal spot on the entire Earth (outside of the Arctic) at the moment. We are for the most part alone in our shedding of winter attire.
Can we catch up? You bet. Some of the most epic snowstorms on record happened in February and March (1993, anyone?). However, time is running out. You’ve probably already noticed that the sun is sitting higher up in the sky. Westfield is enjoying 70 more minutes of daylight than it did on December 22nd. No major storms are on the immediate horizon. And to the east, winter will have to strike fast if Boston wants to avoid the least snowy year on record (currently 7.8″ this season, record is 9″ set in 1937).
Snow lovers…you’re on the clock.
Meanwhile, warmer winter weather means you should definitely should be more vigilant for black bears… they are already active and out of hibernation (and hungry).
There shouldnt be any major impact on plants. Yes, they are blooming early. But the cooler weather for the rest of February will halt their progress.
Bugs may be the biggest issue. Look for earlier and more copious ticks/flies. That may mainly be farther to our south, though, as there have been enough cold days to achieve the normal kill-off.
Amphibians are the most at risk. They come out as soon as it warms, and can be killed easily by a following cold snap.
