Winter: Turning The Corner?

Its Feb 20th, and I think we have finally turned the corner on winter. Living in New England, I know it is baby steps transitioning into spring, but during the past week I have noticed a few things that haven't been common since November.

1. The sun is effective again.
Even if temperatures are in the 20s, when the sun comes out, it feels warm to the skin. It hasn't felt like this since late November. Today we hit 39 degrees in Hanover, and despite the gusty winds, the sun felt great. I took the ultimate test by sitting in the shade for 10 minutes, and I still didn't feel cold. The sun angle is getting higher, and by March, the sun angle will be the same as it is in September, so hopefully all of this damn ice we have on the sidewalks will go away soon.

2. Longer daylight.
This is pretty obvious, but the days are getting longer. Pretty soon we'll have daylight savings, and it will be getting dark towards 7pm again. No more 4pm darkness till next December. :-) Although our days are longer now than in November...

3. Lots of birds
I'm not a bird person, but there have been so many different birds around lately, and today was no exception. Perhaps they too have noticed that winter has turned the first corner.


Of course, this is just the first of many steps that are taken toward springtime in Northern New England. Chances are, we'll probably experience five more arctic outbreaks, and ten more significant snowstorms, and the last snow will probably be in mid April. But its a step by step process, and as much as us New Englanders bitch, we're a resilient bunch and will take the weather as it comes. Because if a New Englander hates winter, it is the little things that happen on days like today.... the extra birds singing, and the effective sunshine, that suggests hope for warmer times ahead.

Weather for the day:
The best way to describe our weather today was changeable. I woke up to mainly cloudy skies with a couple of very light snow flurries coming down, with temperatures in the low to mid 30s. Then the sun decided to make an appearance before the cold front moved in, and our temperatures boosted up into the upper 30s. It was 37 in Lebanon, and 39 in Hanover. Orford, NH actually hit 40 degrees today. For the first time in awhile, we missed the majority of the snow showers and squalls that hit the state. They were confined to the mountains and locations east of Lebanon.

After the cold front moved through, the temperatures initially dropped into the 20s, but a busy wind kept it from bottoming out any lower. In fact, right now its 22 in Lebanon, and 21 in Hanover, and the winds are still busy, (13 mph) so as long as it stays windy, we won't drop. But tonight the temperatures are a little deceiving. The wind chill at the airport is 10 degrees, so it really doesn't matter. I'd rather not have the wind so I can cover up and stay warm easier. The forecast is for a low of 14, so we'll see how low it actually gets. If the wind keeps going, I doubt it gets that low.

This is a night where if you live on a hill, the temps are much colder than in the valleys. At 800 feet in Lebanon, its 18 degrees, in Fairlee VT at 1100 feet, its 16 degrees, while down here in Hanover its still in the 20s. One exception is Orford NH, where its 19 along the river valley, because the wind has probably died down there. They were 21 an hour ago. It will be interesting to see where our lows are tomorrow morning.

I can tell that I'm tired because now I'm rambling. Signing off.

Edit...wind dropped to 6 mph in Lebanon, temp is 21. If the wind dies, it will be colder than 14 for a low. If not, than 14 and no colder. Should be interesting.