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meteorological whiplash
2015-Apr-13, Monday 10:15 amCities in the diagonal stretch from Minneapolis to Fargo experience a greater range of temperatures than anywhere else in the United States. This spring is proof enough of the short-term variability that we experience.
March started out with -21C (-7F) followed a few days later with 17C (63F) temperatures. It was a very strange transition. The snow had already melted away from the landscape, which was unusual enough so early in the year. On the day with high temperatures, though, I was driving down the road rolling down the windows because I was feeling too warm in the car, then I looked to the side and saw that the ponds were all still completely frozen over with ice. Hot and cold at the same time. The landscape hadn't adjusted to the warm air.
We went back down to sub-freezing temperatures again. Then we saw some more snowfall on March 23rd (photo at right). It didn't last long, though. Temperatures went back up, and the snow melted away quickly. The next week or two saw temperatures fluctuate some more, but not as widely.
On Friday morning of last week, we actually had snowfall for a few minutes (photo at left). It only lasted about 10 minutes, but there were some large snowflakes in that downpour. By Saturday, though, we were back to 20C (68F), and I was out in the garden planting seeds already.
If our growing season keeps lengthening, then maybe one of these years I'll finally be able to grow some carrots for 2 years in a row. That duration is important, because carrots do not produce seeds in their first year. So far, all my carrots have died during the winter when the soil freezes.
Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota, though. I'm cautiously optimistic for 2015.
March started out with -21C (-7F) followed a few days later with 17C (63F) temperatures. It was a very strange transition. The snow had already melted away from the landscape, which was unusual enough so early in the year. On the day with high temperatures, though, I was driving down the road rolling down the windows because I was feeling too warm in the car, then I looked to the side and saw that the ponds were all still completely frozen over with ice. Hot and cold at the same time. The landscape hadn't adjusted to the warm air.
We went back down to sub-freezing temperatures again. Then we saw some more snowfall on March 23rd (photo at right). It didn't last long, though. Temperatures went back up, and the snow melted away quickly. The next week or two saw temperatures fluctuate some more, but not as widely.
On Friday morning of last week, we actually had snowfall for a few minutes (photo at left). It only lasted about 10 minutes, but there were some large snowflakes in that downpour. By Saturday, though, we were back to 20C (68F), and I was out in the garden planting seeds already.If our growing season keeps lengthening, then maybe one of these years I'll finally be able to grow some carrots for 2 years in a row. That duration is important, because carrots do not produce seeds in their first year. So far, all my carrots have died during the winter when the soil freezes.
Spring has finally arrived in Minnesota, though. I'm cautiously optimistic for 2015.