Winter hangover: Will it ever end?
Almost 12 weeks after the ground hog made his prediction of another six weeks of winter, Southwestern Pennsylvania is still stuck in a winter weather pattern that just will not release its grip.
Wave after wave of cold Arctic air keeps plunging southward out of Canada to reinforce the weather pattern that is more like early March rather than late April. Last weekend, we did get a break as an invasion of warm air from the south made its way across the region only to be driven back by more cold air reinforcements from the cold Arctic. This extended winter weather has also produced a lot of late season snow with April so far having 11 days with snow and some very cold rainfalls as well.
Speaking of rain, this past Monday produced over two inches in the measuring bucket and so far this year, we are eight inches above our normal rainfall. Once again by Monday afternoon, the rain had turned to snow and snow continued until late Tuesday producing several inches of accumulation and some slippery roads.
Snow in April is not that unusual, but 11 days of it is quite out of the ordinary. In some places and in many mountain areas, the temperature on Tuesday did not get above freezing.
Average temperature for this past Tuesday is 66 degrees.
So when will all of this end? This coming weekend promises to be sunny and dry with slightly moderating temperatures, but still below the normal for this time of the year of 67. Into next week, we do not see any more snow and perhaps that may be the end of it.
The climate prediction center keeps temperatures a bit below normal next week, but warming to normal the week after and rainfall to be average or a bit below the normal for the next two weeks.
All of the excess rainfall of the past months should produce some healthy spring blossoms during the coming days.
Already, and in spite of the cold and snowy weather, I have seen the new carpet that Mother Nature is installing in the woods and hillsides along the bike trail in Ohiopyle. Spring beauties and blood root are blooming and several trilliums are ready to flower.
In the next week, there will be an explosion of spring growth and this should help bring an end to the winter hangover we have been experiencing.