Indeed, I woke up to a landscape of white. Amazing how long it takes to melt, and how quickly that gain can be obliterated.
Fear not though, spring is here, and the warm weather is coming. I think people have lost touch with the fickleness of our weather because of central heating/cooling. This is very typical weather. So is spring flooding. We get a lot of press on these weather situations, and people get stirred up needlessly.
Flooding has become a major issue because humans are building on land that was historically flood plain. A couple of decades of really calm weather lulled many municipalities into allowing building on what was known to be unstable land. The lust for waterfront property, and the human sense of supremacy has made for these disasters. Our ancestors weren't so dumb as people might like to think.
With regards to snow though, my memory serves that the long weekend in May can be a crapshoot. Some of them have been hot an sunny. 2 years in 25 there have been firebans, because of a lack of spring rain coupled with high temps. More of them have been cool and rainy, and there has been more than 2 with a skiff of snow, nothing substantial.
One Victoria Day weekend in the early 90s was fabulous. Lots of people were here, swimming and canoeing. One family stayed for the entire week. On the Thursday, which was actually May 24, they packed up and went home though. 6 inches of snow fell in less than 2 hours. They ran out of warm clothes for the youngster, and gave up. The young one was happy though...
The snow was gone by the next morning.
Let this serve as a cautionary tale. Weather forecasts are only as good as the forecasters. The best way to enjoy nature is to BE PREPARED. It doesn't take a lot, really, just some mindful packing. Bring more than one of everything, even if it is a short visit. Rubber shoes for dewy mornings, a light jacket, a sweater. Extra socks are really important. Dress in layers.
My memory is good. I don't think our weather has changed much, because I can remember certain dates and the weather conditions, year over year. There have always been fluctuations. What has changed is other peoples' memories, and expectations. Nature is bigger than all of us, and it will win every time. Might as well get along, instead of fighting it.
Fear not though, spring is here, and the warm weather is coming. I think people have lost touch with the fickleness of our weather because of central heating/cooling. This is very typical weather. So is spring flooding. We get a lot of press on these weather situations, and people get stirred up needlessly.
Flooding has become a major issue because humans are building on land that was historically flood plain. A couple of decades of really calm weather lulled many municipalities into allowing building on what was known to be unstable land. The lust for waterfront property, and the human sense of supremacy has made for these disasters. Our ancestors weren't so dumb as people might like to think.
With regards to snow though, my memory serves that the long weekend in May can be a crapshoot. Some of them have been hot an sunny. 2 years in 25 there have been firebans, because of a lack of spring rain coupled with high temps. More of them have been cool and rainy, and there has been more than 2 with a skiff of snow, nothing substantial.
One Victoria Day weekend in the early 90s was fabulous. Lots of people were here, swimming and canoeing. One family stayed for the entire week. On the Thursday, which was actually May 24, they packed up and went home though. 6 inches of snow fell in less than 2 hours. They ran out of warm clothes for the youngster, and gave up. The young one was happy though...
The snow was gone by the next morning.
Let this serve as a cautionary tale. Weather forecasts are only as good as the forecasters. The best way to enjoy nature is to BE PREPARED. It doesn't take a lot, really, just some mindful packing. Bring more than one of everything, even if it is a short visit. Rubber shoes for dewy mornings, a light jacket, a sweater. Extra socks are really important. Dress in layers.
My memory is good. I don't think our weather has changed much, because I can remember certain dates and the weather conditions, year over year. There have always been fluctuations. What has changed is other peoples' memories, and expectations. Nature is bigger than all of us, and it will win every time. Might as well get along, instead of fighting it.
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