As much as we look forward to spring, the season often begins with the worst weather of the year: raw, windy days, cold rain, wet snow, floods and oscillating temperatures. Despite global warming, early spring has been especially cold and unpleasant over the past few years and, to date, the trend continues.
Here in Missouri, we are at least two weeks behind schedule when it comes to spring flora. Of course, when compared to the recent storms in New England and the threat of floods in the Upper Midwest, we have little to complain about. March is always a fickle month and has a reputation for bringing severe weather to various parts of our country; it drops the heaviest snows of the year across the Colorado Front Range, triggers tornado season along the Gulf Coast and ushers in the wildfire season of South Florida.
Unfortunately, despite our tidy image of the seasons, nature's cycles are gradual and uneven. Spring is an ill-defined transition from winter to summer and its clash of warm and cold air is responsible for the blustery and stormy conditions. Winter does not give up easily and, here in the Heartland, we are usually well into April before its last gasps are behind us. Until then, we must slog our way through the mud and flood waters and have faith that May will arrive.
