Because I’ve been spending a lot more of mid-spring in the house than outside, I’ve been thinking about a saying I’m guilty of using every year:
“This has got to be the strangest spring ever.”
Is it?
Sure seems so. If I recall, it seemed that way last year and the year before. Howling northerly winds that all but dried up Back Bay and upper portions of the Currituck Sound. Weeks of such winds, plenty of violent weather systems dumping copious amounts of rain, sometimes hail, and even a few tornados to the southwest of our region.
Hot for a few days, warm for a few more, and plenty of downright chilly coldness. Fireplace on one day, air conditioning the next.
Countless times we’ve all heard “what month is it, anyway?” Is it because of global warming? I don’t know. Don’t know about such things enough to tell whether this weather wildness is something that’s been building or part of a cycle of warmth and cold, dryness and wet, that has been part of the earth through recorded history and likely for a long time before then.
But there’s one thing I do know: This batty spring has made the world of boating a lot more difficult. Just when you think it’s safe to head out on the water, days of strong northeasterly winds flood the region and send its waters into a frothy place few people would want to boat on.
Weather patterns appear to be drifting into a more favorable pattern this year though. Maybe now we can get to the business of enjoying the smell of salt water as it splashed beneath the hull.
Remain diligent on the water, however, because thunderstorms are a part of the process throughout the winter and their passing isn’t suited for a good time. And in a few months will all likely be saying “is this the hottest summer ever?”
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