tamarack

Started at 2:40 with bunches of IP pus a rumble of thunder - can't recall any thundersleet before.

Reached 53° under thin clouds, mildest since early November. Today? Hanging around 30 while 440 miles SW in SNJ the grandkids are probably putting in their garden with temp flirting with 80.

Even with 2 AN winters in the last 5, we're BN for the period, but 93% of average isn't a significant departure.

One day when my older brother was at Camp Buckner after his plebe year a West Point, his company was learning to handle and aim 105 mm howitzers, lobbing live shells over a hill to where spotters could report results. A full load was 7 bags of powder but they were using only one, until the pop, pop of the mild load was punctuated by a ka-boom - someone had put in the full 7, whether by accident or not. The crew figured the shell landed somewhere in Bear Mountain State Park. Six-eight years later, the news reported that some campers at the park heard an explosion as a shell landed a couple hundred yards from their site, clearing out a few trees..

The real equivalents came in 1976 and 2002 when some SNE points reached 95 just past mid Month.

NNE had its own "big month" at Pinkham Notch, as the 81" set a new March record. The season total of 201.9" is 5th greatest and another 13" will put 22-23 into 3rd. (Top 2 are out of reach, 285" in 57-58 and 323" in 68-69.)

Nice 50° difference between home and the SNJ branch of family. Sleet here, skeeters there?

GYX discussion had 0.3" accretion as the 'floor' for the W.Maine mts. Forecast has ZR/IP into the foothills, with no accretion noted but '<1/2" IP' included. Forecast here for Wed high temp is 32. March had but one day at/below 32, would be very odd to get another in April.

Only a 40° difference between my place and the grandkids' SNJ garden. Since we moved to the Maine foothills, our average temp runs about 13° milder than where the kids live.

38/30 yesterday. We do it again Wednesday though with less RA. While the grandkids in SNJ are gardening under 75° sun, we'll be 37 with misery mist.

Probably close to your average. I think Minneapolis avg is closer to 60".

Especially away from salt water.

The winter that wrecked my grading system. DJFM temperature was the mildest of my 25 winters here and had only 2 days with true bottom-of-winter cold. However- - - there were no extended thaws, no freakishly high temps, one of the few DJFM periods that failed to top 50. " to Even the 3.25" mega-Grinch only dropped the pack from 15" to 12. Normally that avg temp would rate an F, but the avoidance of long thaws, or serious RA after 12/23, probably merits a D. Snowfall is at 115% of avg thru this morning. The 22" dump in mid-Dec is the 3rd largest snowstorm here and all but guaranteed continuous and AN pack - SDDs are running about 20% above avg, depth peaked at 36" and stayed 19" or deeper for 10 weeks. Snow total, assuming little/no more, would be a B+ but the big storm and good pack will raise the grade a bit.

My little pickups (1992 Ranger inherited from dad, 2004 Mazda, 2011 Ranger) have all been 2WD and this was the 29th winter I've been driving them, so I'm not too concerned.

Farther downeast, even June wx can be problematic. During our honeymoon, we drove up Cadillac Mountain with 2 cooked lobsters on June 24, planning to enjoy cracking them for lunch as we enjoyed the view. Unfortunately, there were 3 problems: --We forgot to bring napkins. --The water at the summit had not yet been turned on. --Visibility was less than 100 yards in fog. (Lobsters were great, mess and all.)

If/when my 2011 Ranger dies, I'd like to find a reasonably priced used Ford Maverick, the only true small truck out there. Hybrid version muchly preferred.

March 2023 numbers: Avg. max: 40.42 +1.75 High - 50, 27th Avg. min: 21.42 +4.88 Low - zero, 1st. Only the 2nd March w/o subzero low (2010, low was 11) Avg. min was 3rd highest Mean: 30.92 +3.31 Precip: 2.85" -0.61 Jan-Mar: 9.84" +0.09" Greatest day: 0.91" 4th Snow: 27.9" +11.0" 6th highest and only March in the 20s. Snowiest: 12.1" 4th Pack: Avg. 22.8" +4.8" Peak: 36" 4th DJFM temp: 25.49 Mildest, topping 25.21 in 2015-16. Temp Snow DEC +5.04 +4.4 JAN +9.14 +9.9 FEB +1.48 -6.3 MAR +3.31 +11.0 Of course, in this wacky winter, the month closest to avg temp was the only one with BN snow.

Had 1.5" of 37.5-to-1 feathers (0.04" LE) 7-9 last evening, another 1.5" of more common spring snow (0.18"/8.3-to-1) thru sunrise. The ratio for the 3.0" total, 13.6-to-1, doesn't quite describe the snow. Currently RA- and low 30s. Trees were gorgeous at 7 AM, most snow off the hardwood branches by now.

Only 1.8" from cracking the century mark. However, the past two Aprils had 1.6" and 0.2". Had 100.5" in 2010-11, maybe 99.5" this year?

Down to 15" here but it's dense, probably ~50% LE. Fortunately, it looks like a slow release is likely, at least for the next week. Dry 50s with cool overnights would get the job done.

When CAD bites back. Nothing like 37° RA on April Fool's Day.

re: 2002-03, or 2009-10 if one includes the MA. BWI with 7" more snow than CAR is something one would never see again in several lifetimes.

Had exactly 50 on Monday. Month's low was zero on the 1st. That 50° span is the lowest for any March here. (In contrast, March 2012 had a range of 90°, greatest I've recorded for any month, anywhere. Next is 87 in Jan 1979 at Fort Kent, with 40/-47.)

3 weeks ago, I cored the (then 30" pack, finding 9.31" SWE for a 31% water content. Tuesday afternoon did it again; SWE down to 8.01" but with the pack down to 17" the water was up to 47%. Even if the 2 icy layers, about 2" total, had 75-80% water content, the remainder would still be over 40% and thus ripe. Hoping for not much RA on Saturday.

Batting gloves with (faux) fur lining? Slept thru the CF but 0.7" meets my definition of SNSQ. Had to have finished with big flakes given the mottled snow surface. Only 0.03" LE and windy so what doesn't melt will sublimate.