Some of the first crocuses this year, and what they're under now. On the plus side, the snow is likely to protect things from the rather cold temperatures that came in with it. #spring#winter#flowers#gardening
The Redpolls show more reds now! A bitter cold wind is blowing from the North, and a few small birds have found their way into the garden. With wind-ruffled feathers and fluffed up, they fill up at the feeder.
Good news for those tired of winter: spring is starting early this year. In fact, the season is starting earlier than it has since 1896, albeit by only a few hours. While the Northern Hemisphere’s spring equinox— the point when the sun is directly over the equator— usually falls on March 20 or 21, you can credit the adjustment to 2024 being a leap year. Read more from CBS News, including why you can expect spring to come earlier and earlier every leap year until the next century.
Updated Winter (December through February) change of the average temperature over the past 50 years in and around the Arctic, data from ERA5 courtesy of ECMWF/Copernicus. The huge increase in average temperature east & southeast of Svalbard is due to sea ice loss. The cooling over central and eastern Siberia isn't large but covers a significant area. #Arctic#ClimateChange#Climate#Winter @Climatologist49
This spring, half the country will be able to consider growing #plants they couldn’t have in their backyard before. In Nov., the Ag Dept updated its Plant Hardiness Zone #Map for the first time since 2012. The map, which tracks the average annual extreme-minimum #winter#temperature across the US, showed average increase of 2.5⁰ F across the Lower 48 states with some states such as AR, KY, MO and TN increasing by as much as 5⁰.
I just googled "Spring official date" and found out it's Tue, Mar 19, 2024 – Thu, Jun 20, 2024. So since winter officially ends tomorrow, I thought I should post the coldest looking photo I took this winter, in Idaho. Wishing for a bright and prosperous spring 🌼🌱 #winter#snow#photography#silentsSunday#spring