Mild Winter...

Mild winters are also for the birds!

Winter is over before it ever really began here in New York and many other places in the country. We had a snow storm October 28th I believe. I thought to myself and out loud, what the hell are we going to do if the snow is starting so early. Last winter was hell. We had a storm a week and broke records for the number of inches that had fallen. But, after that storm, things quieted down and nothing happened. November and December came and went without a problem. But, our worst months were still ahead of us. To my disbelief, no snow fell either of those months and the temperatures have been so mild that I might have worn my winter coat about 5 days all winter. It’s an amazing gift from Mother Nature for my family as snow storms wrack havoc on traveling and parking our cars. It’s been four months of fall/spring weather and I couldn’t be happier. Plus, many cities saved a ton of money on snow removal and residents on heating bills, and in this economy every little bit helps!

Well, for every piece of good news the media will gives us a dozen pieces of bad news. What does a mild winter mean for spring and summer. Frankly, I had my heart set on a cool summer. I remember a year like that, where the winter was mild and the summer cool. But, no one is predicting that yet. But experts are predicting that a mild winter means that we are going to see many insects making an early appearance. Some of these pests include termites, ants, wasps, hornets and especially mosquitoes and ticks which carry diseases. It also may mean that if plants blossom sooner, allergies will kick in sooner and last longer. 

It’s going to be eighty degrees here today. That is really unheard of in March. I prepared my air conditioner, just in case I need it to sleep. Most years the AC isn’t necessary until May or around Memorial Day. I am still trying to wrap my head around this weather. But, I have to wonder if we are going to “pay” for this easy winter in other ways? Will it affect our other seasonal weather patterns in the months ahead, like hurricanes, tornadoes, the fires in California? I hope not for the worse.

Meanwhile, today I am not complaining. My air conditioner is ready to go if need be. My shovels are packed away. I’m done with my winter coat and ready for spring!