Crocuses and snow for the snow moon!

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 The new moon on  February 9  that marked the Lunar New Year is a full moon, now.  It's the second full moon of 2024---the snow moon! 

Yes, there have been big snows in  February in past years,   this year there has not been so much snow. 

Chicago's fleet of snowplows are ready and waiting. There is one called "Skilling It" named for beloved meteorologist Tom Skilling, who is retiring at the end of February.

According to Tom Skilling, the combination of El Nino and a warming climate have made this is the warmest February in 153 years!   

And there are crocuses blooming in sunny yards already.  Leaves of daffodils, buds on the the magnolias and the ginkgo trees. 

This early springlike warmth is tempting to go out and work in the garden,  but it is really too early to plant things.   Don't cut back last summer's flower stalks--there are still insects hibernating in them.  Cover those peony shoots, for now. 

Yes, I saw crocuses blooming on Friday morning--February 23.  Then, clouds and a cold front in the afternoon. And in the evening, snow falling for the snow moon!

 

 

Happy Lunar New Year!

  

The new moon on February 10 marked the start of the Lunar New Year---the year of the Wood Dragon in the Chinese zodiac.  Lunar New Year  is a spring festival--feasting and dancing, exchanging wishes for prosperity, good health,  and good luck.

There are more spring festivals coming.   There is Mardi Gras on February 13, Valentines Day on February 14.  And pitchers and catchers report on February 14 and 15!  

And everywhere here there are signs of spring---buds and new leaves.  There is  more light every day. Since the winter solstice, we have gained  1 hour and 23 minutes of daylight!

Early Spring for a day

 

Sun and Sunday, February 4th. The groundhogs have spoken.  It was overcast in Woodstock, Il and Punxatauny, PA, so they did not see their shadows. This means an early spring. With blue sky, sun and temperatures in the 40's it feels like Spring for a day, today.  

I hope whatever you do today--running errands, riding a bus, walking your dog,  let the blue sky and sun be with you. Look at the signs of spring around you. 

Here are the buds on the magnolias. Here are the first green leaves of the daffodils.  Soon, the crocus flowers, and the red shoots of the peonies....

Groundhog Day!

Hooray, hooray, it's February, and about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox!

 

 

February 1 and 2 was and still is celebrated as a pagan holiday---Imbolc, the beginning of the end of winter. There would be feasts and gatherings, preparation for spring and growing season. The flower of Imbolc is the snowdrop, one of the first flowers to emerge in the lengthening and warming days. 

 

This holiday is also known as Candelmas,  a Christian festival that falls 40 days after Christmas. It is a festival of light, again to mark the longer days.

But in these times, February 2  is best known as Groundhog Day. People gather to celebrate Punxutawney Phil, in Pennsylvania, and Woodstock Willie, in Woodstock Illinois, where the movie Groundhog Day was filmed.  

 

So, will we have an early Spring, or  six more weeks of winter?

 

If the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter.  Why? Sun and clear sky, the ground is colder.

 

No shadow means overcast, and the ground is warmer, and early spring!

 

January Days

 

 Remembering the snows of years ago.  The photo above is from the Chicago Tribune Archives of the Big Snow  of 1967.

The blizzard of 1967 is still  the largest single snow event  in Chicago history. During  35 hours on January  26-27, a total of  23 inches of snow fell on the city and suburbs.

We've had winters of ice jams and ice dams, double-digit subzero wind chills, Chiberia   and the polar vortex.  But when we think of January in Chicago, maybe it's the snow days we remember. 

January this year has  seemed especially long, and gray. There are 5  Tuesdays in January this year!  When will it be over?  We are all asking ourselves that question, as we walk on the treacherous  ice, under gray sky the color of dirty snow. 

But January has its beauty, too. Just ask the die-hard folks who ventured out the first day of not-so subzero temperatures to go to the grocery store or walk their dogs  under bright sun and dazzling blue sky.  

 We are almost 2/3 of the way through meteorological winter---December,  January, February. Yes, there can be blizzards in February, too.  Remember the Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011?  This was the third  largest snowfall  total in Chicago history, a total of  21.2 inches (54 cm) of snow fell at O'Hare Airport. 

But February is the turning point. Days are getting longer, almost 2 minutes of daylight every day. Today, we will have 30 minutes 46 seconds more daylight than  the winter solstice on December 21, 2023.

 

Welcome to Chiberia!

 

Chiberia is back--- cold winds off the lake, the Hawk wind out of the west. This is the subzero side of Chicago. Some folks may remember single-digit temperatures and brutal -30 and -40- wind chills of years past. For others, this will be a whole new experience!

Yes, this may be the closest any of us will come to living on another planet. The extreme cold affects everything from  switches on CTA trains,  starting a car, doing anything outside.

If you have a dog or cat, please keep them safe. If it's too cold for you, it's too cold for them, too.

If there are stray cats in your neighborhood, Alley Cat Allies has some advice on how to help them. You can read more here.

Please dress for the subzero temperatures. The chart above, from the National Weather Service, offers you some examples---layering is the way to go-- wear loose, light layers, a windproof jacket, a scarf, a hat  that covers your ears, mittens or  gloves, and waterproof boots.  Snowboard pants are also great--loose and light, and plenty of pockets...

 Dress for the weather, and be careful out there!

January 6---And Snow!

 

 

 

 

We are still new to the new year, and new beginnings. Already, earthquakes, missiles and the first school shooting of the year.  Today is January 6--- and 3 years ago, it was Insurrection Day, a  violent attempt to overthrow an  election. It didn't start that day, and there is still a threat to democracy today.

Saturday, January 6---Epiphany, Three Kings Day.  And snow today! This is real snow, the snow the kids wanted for Christmas. About 1 or 2 inches of wet snow, here. Yes, enough to shovel.  It's so beautiful, clinging to the bare branches of the trees,  the milkweed  pods, and stems of the autumn grasses.  

The snow is the color of the sky, and the sky is the color of the snow.

And today, walking through the alley, there are  Christmas trees,  covered with snow.