These warm February days we’ve had this year sure are nice, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
The fact is, spring doesn’t begin until March 20, and that means winter doesn’t end until then. And anyone who has lived in this region for a while knows that winter can happen big-time in March.
The other day, I was looking at several photos I took of very snowy conditions in Texas County in March of 2014.
I recall a huge March snowfall in about the same timeframe (I think maybe 2013), but I couldn’t find any images from it. I clearly remember one shot I took depicting a 12-inch ruler standing in snow with its tip just below the surface.
That would be a big, big snow in any month, but it’s kind of wild that it was in March.
But lately, Scotty (the Scottie) and his friend Lilah (a family member’s female Welsh Corgi who’s living with us on sort of a temporary basis) have had ample opportunity to lounge around in front of the house and go for walks in the woods and at parks. And at the same time, I’ve been taking advantage by doing various outdoor chores and tasks that would often have had to wait a few weeks or so.
I’ve also noticed an increase in bird and deer activity, which isn’t at all surprising since they can go about their food-finding routines and other activities more comfortably.
By the way, I looked up records of weather in the area in March of 2014, and there was a day during the wintry blast when the high was 25 and the low was 3, and another when the high was 34 and the low was 4. Kinda sounds like January, but nope – March.
Because our collective memories of weather conditions are at best short, I also looked back at last year and was reminded that we had no cold weather, but instead had several days with highs in the high 70s and a few in the low 80s.
Warm winter days in March. That’s what I’m talking about.
Anyway, there’s still more of February to navigate, and the forecast shows we should see some fairly chilly stuff this weekend, with highs around 39 or 40. But that’s pretty acceptable compared to the possibilities.
So, here’s to hoping Ozarks Weather Roller-Coaster doesn’t takes us through any more harsh wintry weather this year – especially in March. I’ve been enjoying the unusually warm conditions and I’d rather that they continued versus dealing with cold – especially the bitter kind.
Nevertheless, I think I’ll keep the heavy jacket and Muck boots handy for a bit longer, just in case. Because after all, winter is winter and March is March.