Bugs

OK, thanks for the replies.  I never heard about NAO before, starting to read about it now.  Online, I see this "blocking" phenomenon is used to explain snowy weather in the East, so I guess I can imagine that in turn "blocks" things in our region, although there are a few missing connections in my understanding as yet.

Hello All, I just joined, enjoying the thread.  We had 3/4" hail in Boulder, late yesterday.  I have a new car so I'm kind of anxious about taking it out ever day.  I wonder at what size does hail start to leave dents in a car?

I also have a belated anecdote about the 5/20 snowstorm.  I had planted 6 tomatoes just a couple days before.  I went out that evening to find a couple inches of wet snow accumulated on my plants, on the tomato cages and surrounding soil.  Thermometer outside kitchen window said 30*F so temperature-wise at least, it seemed like there was a chance.  But I figured, which that much snow sitting right on the plants, surely they will have suffered frostbite.  The situation seemed kind of hopeless, but just as an experiment I decided to see what I could do.  I hosed off all the snow, which took quite a while, since I tried to get it all off the ground too, and there was plenty.  Then I put a tarp over the plants.  I was really surprised to find that all 6 plants survived.  Although, they haven't grown as fast as they usually would, due to this prolonged cool spell.

Is there an explanation for our cool, wet spring/early summer?  I did not see any comments about this.