BS: SPRING!

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 04:27 PM

No Bettynh, our soil never freezes solid! We have the Gulf Stream which is a sea current that brings warmth up from the south, and keeps the UK a little bit warmer than other countries on the same latitude. This winter, it's hardly gone below freezing at all, and not one flake of snow, but in 2010 it went down to minus 10, totally weird for us. In the farmers' fields around our village, the rapeseed is in full flower (bright yellow) and many bees and even some butterflies have woken up a bit early and are glad of the rapeseed nectar for some nourishment.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 03:24 PM

Helps us see the snow better.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Ed T
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 03:18 PM

Cloudy,(not clowdy) got it mixed up with the fish chowder I am making:)

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Bettynh
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 03:17 PM

Eliza, I find the reports from the UK fascinating. You're several degrees latitude north of Ed, but sooo much warmer. Our clocks moved at the beginning of March. You already have 20 more minutes more for sunset. Does your soil ever freeze solid?

Blackbirds are a sign of spring for us, too. In particular, the red winged blackbird males will suddenly appear and start claiming territory in cattail swamps.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Ed T
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 03:17 PM

It rained a bit this morning, clowdy this afternoon with temperature around 4 C.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 03:03 PM

Norfolk, UK. Where do I start? Daffodils out, tulips just about to flower,blackbirds singing their heads off, bluebells flowering in the garden. All the trees and shrubs have new leaves, blossom beautiful on the flowering cherry and pear trees. Temp about 16C today, but we're promised 19 or 20C later this week. Have turned our central heating off. Actually caught the sun yesterday and my face was quite red in the evening. Need to watch for air frost at night, as it's early days yet. Haven't put my bedding plants (hanging baskets and tubs) out, they're in the greenhouse until mid-April. I feel sorry for those of you who are still having snow! Clocks went forward Sat night, so the evenings are light until 7.30pm.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 02:53 PM

Distress Centre Calgary is busy. Many people who can't get out because of the snow are depressed, with a strong sense of isolation.

Icicles on buildings are a hazard to pedestrians below.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 02:47 PM

Light snow again today.
In that period with slight melting some days, so roadways in Slide, Kelly, Slide mode.

Bird population at my feeder low. The late winter cold spell killed of many birds in Alberta.
Only two pairs of blackcaps made it through, and have seen only one of the nuthatches.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Ed T
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 02:37 PM

One guy humourously speculated that the first signs of northern spring includes new babies in strollers out on walks with tgeir Mom. And, smelt fishing shacks being taken off the lake ice.Maple syrup running is a tasty sign.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Bettynh
Date: 31 Mar 14 - 12:42 PM

Bill, I think you've seen more snow this year than we have. My NH town is on a snowline - on the northern edge of coastal storms that hit Cape Cod hard, on the southern edge of northern storms - so our totals tend to be below other nearby areas. Snow depth is a different matter - we have solid banks of white ice in northern shadows, but wide areas of brown. Dorothy, on the other hand, still has whatever has fallen this year.

Vulture watching is new to me, and I was a bit surprised at my yearning for them. They appeared about 10 years ago - global warming or recovery from DDT poisoning are likely causes.Bernd Heinrich thinks the spread of the Eastern Coyote has made more food available for them in the northern woods. In any event, the vultures nest near our dump, and hundreds of seagulls have been replaced by a family of vultures. They disappear shortly before Thanksgiving.

Other signs of spring - the first news report of an idiot trying to cross a river on foot and falling through the ice. Fortunately for him, he tried in view of a retirement home - several river watchers called the cops as soon as he fell through. The ice-fishing houses have been removed by state law, but folks are still ice fishing. The first lake ice disasters usually involve snow machines. None of those yet, but there will be.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 07:24 PM

Montreal: About 4 inches of heavy wet snow this morning which was then melting so it can freeze tonight. 32F at the moment. Good time to be safely indoors. Spring? with about 2 feet of snow in the back yard!

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: gnu
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 05:27 PM

"However, since we are on the Atlantic coast, our winter weather is normally more moderate than similar inland latitudes..."

Yeah. Ed's right. I am in Moncton, NB.ca, which is 'kinda' inland (you'd have to look at a map to see what I mean). We had about 15 cm of snow today and now it's sleet and freezing rain. Wednesday was blizzard conditions. Not unusual until the 80s and later. I saw one Easter snowstorm in the early 70s that was brutal.. I am talking snowshoe my way to shovel in front of the living room window so we could see outside. Then the driveway had to be cleared and, yeah, we couldn't see out the living room window.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 04:28 PM

I'm a jinx! I posted above... and now it's SNOWING! It's snowing hard! It's 34-35F, so it's only showing on metal surfaces, but it WILL get below freezing tonight, so it will be a nasty, slippery, wet mess until the predicted warming by Monday afternoon!

It is SNOWING, and I'm cold! And.... and.... crap!

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Ed T
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 01:26 PM

Bettynh,

Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Our latitude is roughly similar to northern NH (or, Bangor, Maine).

However, since we are on the Atlantic coast, our winter weather is normally more moderate than similar inland latitudes (snow, turning to rain in winter). We frequently get winter storms that move up the coast from New England.Though, we do get weather fronts from the west also. The jet stream is a major defining weather factor, as it frequently moves north or south of our location.

As with many in the east, this winter was cooler than normal. Signs of Spring (green grass, tree buds, migrating birds) normally come early , but, as the ocean moderates the Spring/Winter heat pulse. Spring can be long,often expanding late in to mid to late May.

On the ocean, the spring sea surface phytoplankton bloom is normally the first week in March, to mid-March, depending on the wind.

We get an early start to Spring, versus inland areas, but fall behind, as inland areas heat up faster.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 01:22 PM

It must be spring. It snowed (just a dusting here) on Wednesday but yesterday and today we are having rain (some flooding possible) in the middle of Rhode Island.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 01:00 PM

We in the Wash DC metro area just had the last of the snow finally melt, although some of the snowdrops & crocuses have been valiantly poking up off & on. Today it is warmish rain, with several days of sunny 70F days predicted for Mon-Wed!

We are almost confident that there will NOT be more snow. (I took the electric blanket off my bed yesterday!)

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Bettynh
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 12:45 PM

Ed, where are you? You can't be far. Our predicted high today in NH is 3 C, but our rain overnight never froze. What are you looking out for as first sign? The tv weatherman reminded us that 2 years and a week ago we had temperatures of 85 F (29 C). That spring resulted in failed maple syrup and apple crops This year, the sap is just beginning to run and the apples are safely asleep.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 12:10 PM

Snowing today. Typical "spring" day in Calgary. Ground frozen solid.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 12:06 PM

This thread is two days early.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: Ed T
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 11:56 AM

Yesterday +12 C, last night freezing rain, that turned to rain this am. What a nice Spring/Winter.

Subject: RE: BS: SPRING!
From: sciencegeek
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 11:53 AM

western New York... the brief "warming" that turned snow & ice into icy mud was replaced with wet snow this morning...

the only color is from the hungry birds at the feeder.

Subject: BS: SPRING!
From: Bettynh
Date: 30 Mar 14 - 11:31 AM

A search brought no results for this thread title. Can that be? Or maybe Max is still tinkering. No matter, I've proof spring is actually coming after this prolonged winter - a handful of blooming snowdrops, two blooming crocus (there will be hundreds), and most definite of all, two turkey vultures aloft! It's raining with a south wind and the temperature in daytime is predicted to be above freezing for the forseeable future. We're definitely making progress. What are your signs of the inevitable progress of spring?

This won't work if we don't know where you are. Please mention it. I'm in southern NH, USA.