Weather Update

Wow! What a difference a week makes. This time last week we were held in the icy grasp of winter. Today, I write from the blazing heat of summer! Last Monday we received nearly a foot of snow. The high temperature that day was 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit). Today, the forecast high temperature is 28° Celsius (82° Fahrenheit).

I think that last week's storm was the last snow we'll see this year. It's makes me a little sad, because winter is my favorite season. Now it's on to summer (or so it seems). Winter hung around so long this year (for the third year in a row) that it's almost as if we've missed out on Spring. The crocuses (or croci) are done blooming, but the daffodils are in full swing. They were severely beaten by the weather, but they're still beautiful!

On another note, I picked up 20 Abies concolor (Concolor Fir) seedlings this past Saturday. They are gorgeous trees that are native to the mountains of the western United States and northwestern México. Remarkably well adapted, they grow as well if not better than Picea pungens (Blue Spruce). I bought the firs to create a "noisebreak" next to the road. They may reach large sizes, so I laid the trees out on a 4 meter (13.1233 feet) spacing.

I saw my first Concolor Fir at the Chautauqua Institution. (See the picture below)

More information on Concolor Firs may be found here, here, here, and here.



Through 23 April A.D. 2007:

Days with snow cover: 100
Days with complete snow cover: 67
Total snowfall: 59 inches (150 centimeters)
Maximum snow depth: 24 inches (60 centimeters)
Lowest temperature: -2° Fahrenheit (-19° Celsius)
Latest date with complete snow cover: 17 April A.D. 2007
Latest date with any snow cover: 19 April A.D. 2007
Latest date with any snowfall: 17 April A.D. 2007
Latest hard frost: 20 April A.D. 2007
Latest light frost: 20 April A.D. 2007