Re: OT:Mild winter recollection

 J. Griffin Crump writes:
> The big Atlantic seaboard rainstorm has finally passed, but another dose
> of rain is in the forecast. Overall, of course, it has been one of the
> mildest winters here. No snow at all, yet. As I searched my notes for
> some seedling heredity, I ran across these notes from 1992, that may
> portend something for the coming year:
> 
> " 'Spring' 1992 -- endlessly cold and wet. Still wearing sweaters on
> June 20. Almost everything in the iris garden bloomed. Several seedlings

This has been an exceptionally mild winter here in Utah as well. I am on
the border between USDA Zones 4 and 5, but except for a brief cold spell
between Christmas and New Year's Day when it got down around 0 F a few
nights, I do not think the temperature dropped below 20 F all winter. The
average temperature for January was 10 F above normal.

We had an extended cool, wet Spring in 1993. The weather was very
consistent without the usual violent oscillations that characterize a
normal "Springtime in the Rockies". This meant no premature warmth to
stimulate iris growth and no late freezes to kill it. Just like Griff in
'92, we had the most bloom ever that year, along with the tallest stalks
and best branching and bud count ever seen in these parts. I have heard two
reports in the last week (one from our local weather guru and one from an
interview on NPR with a scientist at the National Weather Service Long-term
Forecasting Bureau) that the Rocky Mountain area should expect a cool, wet
Spring this year. I hope so!

Jeff Walters in northern Utah  (USDA Zone 4, Sunset Zone 2)
cwalters@digitalpla.net
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