Photo by Dave Roback / the RepublicanCrocuses are popping up early in February outside the Talcott Greenhouse on the campus of Mount Holyoke College Thursday.
Who knew that the freak Oct. 29 snowstorm that caused massive power outages across the region was a harbinger of snowless – and unseasonably warm – days to come? In the three months since that “Nightmare before Halloween,” it might as well have been spring in the Pioneer Valley. Snowfall has been minimal and the temperatures have been mild. so as we head into the final six weeks of winter – depending on which groundhog you believe – let’s celebrate what we’ve missed. last January was the snowiest month ever at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn. besides a snowfall that was just shy of 55 inches, January 2011 was also one of the coldest in recent memory. there were six days in Greater Springfield when the temperatures dropped below zero, including a minus 20-degree reading in Chicopee on Jan. 24, which weather officials say was one of the coldest there in 50 years. this January, only 5.8 inches of snow have fallen in Greater Springfield and temperatures have been more than four degrees normal for the month. on Jan. 6, the mercury climbed to near 70 degrees. What state do we live in? not the typical January many of us remember from our childhood days in New England. According to forecasters, it looks like we will skate along like this for the near future. But, beware. Based on historic records, we could be in for a February surprise. on average, Greater Springfield gets about 51 inches of snow a season and nearly half – 24 inches – falls after Feb. 1. so let’s not count our blessings just yet.
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