You read that right! Melting snow and 40F (plus!) temps in Wisconsin in January.
What madness is this?
Surely this is a sign of a changing climate- our average high is usually 20ishF and lows around 4F. Consistently cold, sometimes downright bitter. And snowy. Always snowy. Yet here we are, a week into above freezing temperatures and sun. This means the snow is melting, but of course it isn’t melting into the ground, its running down to the ditches near the road.
Not the loveliest photo I’ve ever posted I’ll admit. I’m a bit worried about what this will mean come Spring. Usually, what with our sandy soil and all, the melting snow slowly seeps into the ground and we rarely get any runoff. This is the most runoff and standing water I think I’ve ever seen at this property. And its all at the bottom of the lot, not near a single thing that would actually need all this moisture.
The snow is precariously thin through the garden. It isn’t necessarily a problem, unless we get a bitter cold snap, in which case there’s nary a stitch of insulation for any of the plants.
The top garden near the patio is almost completely thawed, which is frankly awful news for the lavender. They always do best when they have some insulation on them, but if this is going to be the new normal there’s no sense babying them through. We’ll just have to assess the damage come April.
The one bright spot, however, has been the decadent days of full sunshine. At its low winter angle, when it does shine, it streams through the windows and lights up the house. The Fig couldn’t be happier and is taking full advantage by breaking buds and sending out new, fresh leaves.
I’ll admit that the one variation of climate change I hadn’t considered was an overall inconsistency and variability in seasons. I honestly think its the worst of both worlds, but last year and the start to this year have been anything but consistent weather and seasons and its wreaked havoc in so many ways. At least the sunsets have been aces.
It will be fascinating to see if this is a strange blip on the timeline or the new normal… how is your winter stacking up?
Snowless, wet, warmer than usual in central Indiana. Lots of plant heaving because it freezes, then it thaws, then freezes again. Grass is still green everywhere! Lots of winter wheat drowned due to standing water, and STILL some soybean and corn fields not harvested due to wet ground! Weird, weird, weird!
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I’m glad someone else is having weird weather too! My family near Milwaukee has had almost no snow but loads of rain. Weird!
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We had a mild December and the first week of January was warm. Then we got back to more normal temperatures a couple of days ago. It was almost a relief.
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Us too. This week has been much closer to normal after an abnormally warm weekend. I just hate seeing all the snow gone and all those poor uninsulated plants! I hate to say it, but I think I’d like some more snow!
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