Spring arrived officially on the calendar last Thursday, yet Mother Nature continues to follow her own schedule for when warmer weather will actually materialize.
As this editorial is being written early in the week, forecasters are predicting below-freezing temperatures throughout the next two days. A significant coastal snowstorm is expected to move in mid-week, potentially bringing a foot or more of accumulation before weather patterns normalize by week’s end.
This pattern should come as no surprise. The winter has been exceptionally cold, with multiple polar vortexes affecting the region, and the Arctic’s icy hold will take considerable time to release. Beyond these immediate conditions, coastal New England residents know that a true spring season rarely develops here. The coastal breezes carry air from the 40-degree ocean water, maintaining cool conditions even when temperatures inland—just 10 miles away—climb 15 degrees higher.
The forecast for Tuesday-into-Wednesday’s storm brings to mind the April Fool’s Blizzard of 1997, which blanketed this area with more than two feet of snow within 24 hours, ranking it among the four largest snowstorms to strike Greater Boston at that time.
Once again, Mother Nature demonstrates her unpredictability. And as the familiar adage goes, the weather will be something everyone discusses, but it remains beyond anyone’s control.