On March 7th in 2011 Vermont had a gigantic
snowstorm, several feet of snow, enough that the snow banked on roadsides
felt almost tunnel-like, and our driveway had to be plowed over and over because of drifts. It was
epic, awesome–all those words. We
moved in the day after. But that
was the end of it. There was to be
no more snow (well, not literally; there was some snow, and eventually enough in the high peaks to ski a couple
of times in 2012), until the beginning of this new year. 2012 was, for the record, a year
of record warmth, according to Climate Central, with NOAA statistics:
By taking the top spot as the
hottest year in the U.S., 2012 pushes 1998 into second place, followed by 2006,
1934 and 1999. In line with the global warming trend spurred by steadily rising
carbon emissions, seven of the top 10 warmest years in the 48 states have
occurred in the past 15 years.
Like so much recent record-breaking
weather, 2012 isn’t just going to break the previous record, 2012 is looking to
smash it, by more than 1°F. Climate Central projects the 2012 average
temperature for the continental U.S. at 55.34°F compared to the previous record
set in 1998 of 54.32°F. For perspective, 1°F is one quarter of the difference
between the coldest and warmest years ever recorded in the continental
U.S.
Exactly how cold would it need to
be not to break the record? Temperatures would have to average 14.76°F across
the continent for the rest of December — a holiday season colder than any ever
recorded.
But that is not going to happen. So
far this December the mean temperature in the contiguous U.S. has been 44.13°F.
The average temperature for 117 years of previous Decembers is 33.08°F.
The fact that the first few days of January 2013 brought
below zero temperatures doesn’t mean much, but it is welcome. It feels right. It's the way Vermont is supposed
to be. And the snow–so much of it–feels very right. It’s what we’ve
been longing for. It has moved us from this:
 |
Rufus on the left, Ken, and Harry
|
To this:
 |
| Ken, upright, at Sugarbush |
 |
At Sugarbush, me in the red jacket
|
after a drive over the mountain via Appalachian Gap:
In the woods and meadows around our house animal trails are newly visible. Chris (son-in-law, next door) has spotted bobcat tracks in several places, porcupine tracks, and plenty of deer tracks. We've seen many deer tracks as well, but haven't yet explored the woods to the same extent.
 |
| A trail behind our house, tracks made by a snowmobile before a more recent snow |
It's been almost too cold for our dogs, although Harry loves to roll around in the snow.
 |
| The bandana helps us find him amid the white. And there really are two eyes under the fur. |
 |
Sadie, the Hustons' dog, bounds thru the snow like a deer–well, almost.
|
Will this snow and cold seem like a dream in a few weeks' time? Will this winter stay with us? It could all change again. The climate forecast is not encouraging. Remembering the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" makes me think, like Hushpuppy, about the melting of the ice caps, the rising of the water. We will see...
