As of 5:24 p.m. Monday, March 20, the season of spring is here in New England -- and across the Northern Hemisphere.
The sun will be even with the Earth’s equator allowing for an equal amount of daylight for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. This is why we refer to the start of Spring as the “Vernal Equinox.” Also, the sun rose directly east today, and will set directly west.
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Although Spring ushers in warmer temperatures, and many grey and drizzly days near the water, it doesn’t mean the chance for snow is gone. Certainly the risk for snow in the higher terrain remains high straight through the month of April.
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Boston has seen one of its biggest snowstorms during the spring. The “April Fools” Day storm of 1997 dropped 25.4” of snowfall at Logan Airport. This was the largest spring snowfall in Boston’s history, and was only an inch and half less than the memorable “Blizzard of 78.”
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The forecast this weekend does call for snow in the interior, with higher elevations in Vermont and New Hampshire inline for accumulating snowfall.
Many think that the spring season means warm, sunny days ahead, but that’s not always the case in New England. “Backdoor Cold Fronts” can take a sunny, warm day and quickly turn it into a cold, drizzly day. These fronts are common in the spring, and originate to the north and east, usually over the cold waters of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Maine. They’re called backdoor because the direction they move -- northeast to southwest -- is the opposite of a standard cold front. These fronts are infamous for creating big temperature differences over short distances.
Certain times western Massachusetts can be near 80 degrees with sunshine, while Boston is in the 40s, with drizzle and fog.
We welcome spring this year after a mild, and tranquil winter. Let’s hope the next few months follow the same pattern that winter did!
