Monday, January 07, 2008

April in January

It got up to 16 degrees C (60 degrees F) today and was still 14 C (57 F) when we went to bed. Virtually all the snow that was here since the beginning of December has melted.

So we've got mud season in January. I prefer snow. But we always get a few days of mud season in January, and it appears to have nothing to do with global warming.

According to David Phillips, senior climatologist for Environment Canada, (who was being quoted in all the papers today) southern Ontario has experienced a January thaw every year since 1937, the earliest year for which records are available, except for 1977, the only year we did not have a January melt-down.

For us temperature roller coasters are quite normal in January, but one of the most dramatic happened three years ago: on Jan. 13, 2005, the temperature reached 17.6 C (63 F). Five days later it dropped to -25 C (-13 F). I remember it well because the golf course across the road opened up for play for about a week.

© Yvonne Cunnington, Country Gardener

5 comments:

  1. Hi Yvonne!

    I have a wonderful friend who is a dairy farmer here in northern NY. A few years ago on a balmy winter day we sat in the driveway of her country log home and enjoyed a beer in the warm winter sun. Today I sent her a text message saying "We may have to sit in your driveway again!" She responded "how true!" So it's a tradition now. We grab the folding chairs out of the basement, plop them down facing the low winter sun and "cheers" to another January thaw!!!

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  2. I love this site and its beautiful pictures that are here. This site has helped me a lot with my garden in OHio

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  3. Thanks, Angel, for your kind comments.

    And Eve, that sounds like a wonderful tradition. Here it was too grey and wet to sit out, but the dog walks were balmy.

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  4. Angel,
    I agree this is a beautiful blog...thanks Yvonne for such inspiration!
    I'm SO waiting for spring!!!

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  5. Anonymous9:02 AM

    Yvonne...looks like you have more time for blogging since you aren't so busy watering. I haven't checked in here for awhile...lot's of great new stuff!
    In January I came a cross a bag of spring bulbs that I had purchased on clearance in November. Our northern Ontario winter hit fast and hard so they didn't get planted.Can you guess the rest of the story?
    During that January thaw I found some soft soil under the snow and leaves and planted them!!
    I'll let you know the results in the spring.
    Vicki

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Thanks so much for visiting this site. I have a new country garden blog and I will no longer be publishing comments at this blog. If you have a question or comment about the topic here, please use the contact form at my new blog to get in touch with me.

-Yvonne, aka Country Gardener