Anonymous wrote:CWG is like incels tweeting relationship advice or TikTokers providing social commentary.

Gruesome.

Now that's accurate.

CWG is like incels tweeting relationship advice or TikTokers providing social commentary.

Gruesome.

I take my weather cues from the birds, who have begun their flocking, nesting and mating rituals. I have observed these activities in several black bird species, blue birds, wrens, geese, ducks, etc. CWG has a lot of maybe in their predictions, the birds are prepping for Spring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh man, I knew it's bad for plants, but weeks of sustained spring rain sounds horrible.

I feel like that tends to happen later in the season here though? April/early May timeframe. The long range forecast definitely shows the cooling trend now with highs consistently in the low to mid 50s coming up after this coming week’s warm spell, but only shows 50-50 chance of rain each day at best. It’s hard to tell this far out of course though.

I remember in 2016, I had an unexpected surgery and some medical issues in April/May and how depressing it was because I was basically locked up inside recovering and it rained every. Single. Day. Also Mothers Day weekend 2020, I was supposed to go to an event outdoors that Saturday (cancelled, of course) and it was in the low 40s and windy and rainy. We had a really nice March right when Covid started and then by late March/early April we had sustained grossness until it suddenly became summer.

Yes, I remember it got very cold and rainy in April and May 2020. I garden and it’ll be warm for weeks but then we always seem to have a frost right around Mother’s Day, so can’t plant my veggies. The other thing I’ve noticed with spring around DC in recent years is that it tends to get very windy in April. So it’ll be a decent enough day in the 60s, but it’s 20-30 mph winds.

Anonymous wrote:Oh man, I knew it's bad for plants, but weeks of sustained spring rain sounds horrible.

I feel like that tends to happen later in the season here though? April/early May timeframe. The long range forecast definitely shows the cooling trend now with highs consistently in the low to mid 50s coming up after this coming week’s warm spell, but only shows 50-50 chance of rain each day at best. It’s hard to tell this far out of course though.

I remember in 2016, I had an unexpected surgery and some medical issues in April/May and how depressing it was because I was basically locked up inside recovering and it rained every. Single. Day. Also Mothers Day weekend 2020, I was supposed to go to an event outdoors that Saturday (cancelled, of course) and it was in the low 40s and windy and rainy. We had a really nice March right when Covid started and then by late March/early April we had sustained grossness until it suddenly became summer.

Oh man, I knew it's bad for plants, but weeks of sustained spring rain sounds horrible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I WANT SNOW.

Your choice of location to live your life was an odd one, then.

NP but we prioritized both highly specialized spouses being able to work in the same metro area. Snow wasn't worth giving up an entire career. But we still get wistful about job ads in Vermont and surf Zillow listings in upstate NY. Maybe someday....

I want snow too

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I WANT SNOW.

Your choice of location to live your life was an odd one, then.

Historically, not really. We usually got at least one snow storm of 3 inches or more.

Anonymous wrote:I WANT SNOW.

Your choice of location to live your life was an odd one, then.

I WANT SNOW.

Yes. Climate scientists tell us that while the earth is warming, climate chaos is the the more appropriate term for what we are seeing-disrupted patterns with extreme highs and lows.

I'm an avid Capitol Weather Gang follower.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/02/17/polar-vortex-stratospheric-warming-weather/

While not certain, this stratospheric warming pattern, and yes it is associated with climate change, might actually cause a cold start to spring. CWG does a good job describing this in layman's terms, but basically a stratospheric warming in the Arctic causes a disturbance in the Polar Vortex, which can push cold air southward. What's more, is that this air mass can also cause what's called the Greenland Blocking pattern, which is the source of some of the cold and rainy, dreary springs we often have. The high pressure builds along Greenland forcing cooler air towards the eastern US, and the storm track as well (something like that). And this can last for weeks on end.

If this happens, and I suspect it might, people who think that 60s in February might mean 70s in March and 80s in April, you will be in for a nasty surprise of 48 degrees and rain for weeks on end. Even worse, the poor plants. If the polar vortex breaks enough, it can send frigid cold snaps our way. This is bad, because the mild winter we have has fooled blossoming plants into thinking it's April. We have Cherry Blossoms already budding. When blossoming plants are at this vulnerable stage, one cold snap can kill them off.

Winter is supposed to bring sustained hard freezes which essentially hit a reset button for vegetation, and then they are supposed to awaken gradually in March and April. When you have them come out in February, that messes everything up.