The symbolic flower of spring is predominately in bloom and on display at the intersection of Starling Avenue and Oakdale Street in Martinsville.
Wednesday evening, daffodils were proudly announcing that spring is just around the corner. In fact, the spring equinox occurs on March 19 this year, the earliest in 124 years.
And just to set the stage, the change to daylight-saving time occurs this Sunday. You will need to set your clocks forward 1 hour when you go to bed on Saturday night if you want to be on the right time Sunday morning. This, of course, gives us an extra hour of daylight in the evening, making it feel like we’re on “summertime.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a warmer-than-average winter, and that is exactly what we got. Along with warmer temperatures, our region of the country was expected to be the recipient of wetter-than-average conditions. Several times this winter our area was placed under a flood watch or flood warning because of heavy rains that occurred throughout the winter months.
Those rains could continue through spring and may threaten to delay the planting season. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says a “wet weather pattern is in store for the Southeast this spring, with most of the rain falling in the first half of the season.”
Spring forecast models show flooding will be possible through April.
By May, NOAA is predicting a quieter weather pattern will replace the rain and storms.
The summer “will be cooler and rainier than normal, with the hottest periods in late July and mid- and late August,” the Farmer’s Almanac says. “A tropical storm will threaten in mid- to late June.
“September and October will be warmer and rainier than normal, with a hurricane threat in mid-September and tropical storm threats in mid-October.”
Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt