March did, in fact, go out like a lamb, sort of. It was above freezing for most of the last two days of March. It was also sunny from time to time. The wind was blowing, but you can’t have everything. The best part of the weekend’s weather is that nothing fell from the sky. For two whole days!
So the two feet of snow that fell last week had a chance to melt and evaporate. We can see bare earth. I even have some more flowers blooming — squill and crocus. There is also much more green than a week ago. The birch trees have begun to unfurl their delicate new leaves. The daylilies, poppies, lupines and later spring bulbs are pushing up leaves and stems. The grass is greening up, and of course the weeds are already growing. The mystery onions that sprouted in my garden turned out to be white onions that I completely forgot I planted last year. I pulled one to find out what it was and left the rest. Those plants are now about a foot tall. Still no peas, but then it has been very cold. I’ll probably have to sow again… and maybe again…
Because we are not done with cold. We have a winter weather warning already posted for tomorrow. If the forecast is accurate, then this storm is bringing heavy snow, both in weight and volume. It is supposed to start tomorrow morning, with a chance for rain, ice and snow. Temperatures will be falling throughout the day, so the winter mix will become snow by mid-afternoon. Then it’s supposed to just keep falling, right through Saturday. Most forecasts are predicting over a foot of accumulation, but that depends on how much is falling as rain or snow.
I really don’t know what to expect. If it were to start right now, it would be wet snow, but just a couple degrees either way could be the difference between more of that powdery snow from last week or a miserable mix of ice and rain. The power company seems to be planning on misery. They are already sending out warnings for interrupted service.
I’m starting to get nervous about the Winooski River after all this snow and melt and snow again. It’s as high as it was last July. The ground is largely frozen right now, and there’s no place for the water to go except down hill. The river is deep, fast and brown with debris and dirt. It’s the kind of spring flow where you would not be at all surprised to see the neighbor’s milk cows all bobbing along downstream, mooing disconsolately. If this storm stays as strong and wet as predicted, it might carry whole houses off again.
Another concern with this round of weather is that this wind is not going away. March and April are usually windy here in New England. But like all weather phenomena in increasingly energetic systems, our winds are getting stronger. Now a breezy day forecast can bring 20mph sustained winds. And this storm is supposed to be windy, not just breezy. More than one weather source is throwing out predictions of 50mph gusts on the western slopes of the Green Mountains. Which is where I live…
So I’m a bit nervous.
On the bright side… ok… there isn’t any bright side… however, despite the darkness, I have plowed ahead and planted my chiles, tomatoes and eggplants. If will has any effect on the world like those kooky New Agers claim, I am going to will this winter weather gone now. It needs to be summer here in six to eight weeks or I’m going to be most put out.
So… wish me luck. And if you don’t hear from central Vermont in the next few days, you’ll know why.
©Elizabeth Anker 2024
By My Solitary Hearth 