I knew I might have been asking for it when I told winter to “bring it” back in early December. Well, ha-ha, very funny, ok, you win: Uncle.
There. I said it. I don’t give up and I don’t give in, but I’ve had enough of winter.
Yes, the snow is pretty. Yes, the cold is supposed to be killing the emerald ash borers and pine beetles and wood ticks. Yes, I’ve had several great days of snowshoeing. Yes, I’ve enjoyed plenty of stay-at-home days with my family: we’ve had more days off from school than I can ever remember when I was a kid.
But enough is enough. It’s February 26 and the forecast low for tonight is for -18 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chills of -25 to -35. Our average high temperature is 33 degrees above zero Fahrenheit. Still not very warm, but it sounds wonderful right now.
We are presently tied for tenth place in the record of winters with the most days with below zero temperatures. This is the coldest winter we’ve experienced since 1979. (I remember that one, by the way. It was not fun.) We are ahead of average for snow and well below average for temperatures.
I’ve had enough. I give in. Despite global warming (Yes, I do believe in it, but I don’t appreciate any comments stating that you do not; get your own blog.), it is clear that we can still have serious winters. It seems obvious that record high temperatures elsewhere in the northern hemisphere are related to our record lows, while record drought in the west can be related to unusually high snow amounts to the east. There is still cold air in the north at this time of the year, and it has to go somewhere. Unfortunately, it’s our year for it to come here.
Saturday is the first of March, the beginning of meteorological spring. The forecast high for the day is 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Whimper. Sigh.
I’ve had enough.
Uncle.