Snow Gives Us A Reminder of What Spring Is

Today's snow (especially to our south) gave everyone a reminder of what spring is: it's a transition season. Spring never involves a steady increase in temperatures. With spring you are always going to take two steps forward and one step backward. A step backward, depending on how far into spring you are, sometimes means snow (usually light). Sometimes, though, there's enough cold air and moisture to work with that it means localized areas get 10" of snow, like what happened in Orange County (VA) today. Clipper systems can sometimes do that. They are forecasted to drop a general 1-3, maybe 3-5 inches of snow, and localized areas get some heavier bands of snow.

Yes, in spring, it is possible to have snow early in the week and hit 70 degrees later in that week. It's a part of reality, the rising sun angle, and the fact that the polar jet is still active and able to drop a quick cold snap on you when you aren't paying attention. We are actually going to see that in action this week. Today we started out chilly with a few snow flurries in the Northern Valley, but later on in the week we will rise to near 70 degrees, especially on Thursday!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, will see temperatures warm to near 50 degrees under sunny skies. That is really going to feel nice after today's cold air. It felt quite chilly to step out to temperatures in the mid 30s to near 40 and see the flurries flying. By Wednesday we are in the 60s, and Thursday we grow ever closer to 70 degrees. Some areas to our south have a better shot at seeing the 70 degree mark. By Friday we back off, but by next week we already begin the warmup. The longer range looks to continue this warmth.

Today's snow reminded me of what my father always says about the onion snow. That's what he calls the last flakes of the season. They're usually big and wet, and can drop a little bit of accumulation. But in a day or two, it's all a distant memory. It falls among the flowers and spring onions. Could this have been it? I think there's a pretty good chance that we are finished with any extended cold snaps around here. But that doesn't mean it won't get cold again. After all, spring is a transition season, and eventually we will have to take that step back before we can go forward again.