It may have looked like winter in mid Missouri yesterday but it sure felt like spring. Down at the Forum Nature Area, the trees were bare, the grass was brown and the sky was gray. A mix of sparrows and juncos foraged along the trails, small flocks of waterfowl dabbled in the shallows and a lone red-tail circled overhead. The only spring-like color was provided by an occasional cardinal and by a group of eastern bluebirds, perched on a power line.
But a warm, moist air mass had moved into the State and afternoon temperatures hovered in the low sixties. One could almost hear the tree frogs, gearing up for a long spring. And, of course, the mild conditions brought out hordes of humans, those pampered mammals that usually hibernate during the winter months.
As usual, this hint of spring in January was a harbinger of coming change, produced by a southerly flow ahead of the next cold front. The latter arrived overnight and we'll stay in the twenties today. The Midwest roller coaster remains on track!
