We enjoyed (?) a spring blizzard last Friday, and received about 10" of very wet snow. The actual blizzard part of the storm missed us, heading east across South Dakota and on to the Great Lakes States and farther east.
But this kind of weather isn't unheard of, and I remember April snow storms canceling school and other activities when I was growing up in Michigan many years ago.
So I went on a hunt through the pictures I've taken since we moved to South Dakota seven years ago, wondering if spring really is AWOL, or are we just impatient?
Here's a shot from April 22, 2012, a year after we moved here:
Boy, howdy! Definitely Spring! Green leaves and everything!
What about the year after, April 9, 2013?
There's Wynter, up to her belly in snow. That storm gave us the largest recorded one-day total of snow on record: 22.4 inches.
And if you remember, October 4-5, 2013 broke that record when an early fall blizzard hit our area. You can read about that storm here: October 2013 blizzard
Let's go on to April 22, 2014:
We visited Mt. Rushmore that day, and no one even wore a jacket!
And here is April 12, 2015. The Custer State Park elk are still sporting their winter coats.
Then only a couple years ago, on April 18, 2016, my dear husband and I drove north to Castle Butte. We heard meadowlarks singing on that trip - a sure sign of spring. You can read about it here.
And this was last year, on May 6, 2017:
So where is spring this year? It's coming, I'm sure of that. Even though there's snow on the ground and no sign of even the earliest spring flowers yet, spring will come.
It always does. God promised.
"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." Genesis 8:22 ESV
Jan, spring is caught in the southern tier of the U.S. and loving it so much that it's having a hard time moving north. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :D
ReplyDeleteBut as you said, it will arrive eventually. And I remember the occasional long, lingering Michigan winter, too. Here in Texas, summer often comes early and then keeps us in her clutches until November. As I've said before, it's a trade off. Blizzards and bitter cold keep y'all inside during the winter, while scorching heat has us savoring the a/c in the summer.
Whatever the case, it's all cyclical. There are cold years, there are warm years. There's flood and drought. But whatever the case, it all works together for good.
Love the pics, btw. ;)
I remember one summer when we lived in Texas...day after day after day of 100° plus temperatures, and this northern gal couldn't stand it. I'd get the kids up early so we could play in the park for an hour before it got too hot. By 9:00 we were inside for the day.
DeleteIf we had lived there longer, I might have gotten used to it - that was West Texas with very little humidity - but we moved north again. To snow. And rain. :-)
Enjoy whatever weather this year brings you!
I knew it! Texas has hog-tied Spring and won't let her go. This weekend of freezing rain is on you, Mindy!
DeleteMwahahahahahahah....
DeleteJan here is my theory! Because of all the fires God knows the ground needed one more snow to soak up all the good stuff it can bring to help the grass regrow! We did see a little green when we last drove through the loop.
ReplyDeleteWe do need that moisture! I'm praying we have a lot of it this year after our last two dry years!
DeleteJan, your weather almost comes out to alternating each year. :)
ReplyDeleteLoved the photos! I can’t believe you’ve been there that long. I remember when you moved and it seems like just a few years ago. Time flies! We’ve been here almost 2 years.
I can't believe it either, Missy! We're within months of this being the place we've lived in the longest since we've been married!
DeleteAnd yes, the weather does seem like it alternates! This year is a late spring, which I hope means a cool, wet summer. We need it! :-)
BTW, most of our blooming trees are done (except for dogwoods), and they're full of leaves. I have a feeling summer will be here soon. Spring is always pretty short in Georgia. Of course, today it's only 40 degrees!! I sure hope the sun comes out soon.
ReplyDeleteDone??? I'm going to try to get out today to see if our crocus might be peeking out of the snow... LOL!
DeleteIt's crazy, isn't it? We have such a huge, amazing country!
DeleteGasp! We don't even have buds on our trees...which is a good thing since they'd be coated with ice right about now. Clearly living in Georgia has benefits...but not the heat of the summer for this northern girl.
DeleteWhen I took the dogs for their very short walk, I tried to find our crocuses. They're buried under a snow drift, about 8" under the snow. :-(
DeleteIt's been crazy weather, hasn't it? We kinda had a bit of spring in February...which just means the temps were unusually warm (for us) and the snow melted a bit faster. But winter is making up for that now. Ferocious winds and freezing rain and snow and more freezing rain. I'm eyeing the fir trees in the back with their ice encrusted limbs resting on the hydro lines. Yikes! But they are promising up 13 by the weekend which is 55 F so maybe spring has finally escaped. :-)
ReplyDeleteFreezing rain is the worst! I hope you don't have to go out until the ice melts!
DeleteWe're supposed to be up to 55° by mid-week, but someone mentioned the possibility of snow next weekend. Is it too much to ask that the temps will stay above the freezing point and we only get rain?
Stay warm, and I hope your lights stay on!
We had freezing rain on Saturday along with snow flurries here in Nebraska. Cloudy and cold Sunday finally yesterday and today a bit warmer. Crazy weather can't make up it's mind if it's Spring or still Winter.
ReplyDeleteThis morning's weather report is daring to mention warm temperatures for next week! Maybe spring will come!
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