The calendar says December, but the weather forecast says something else. Northeast Wisconsin is nearing mid-December and the ground is barely frozen. There is a thin sheet of ice on the Fox River, which developed during the last 48 hours when the temperatures dropped to a little below normal. But even this brief cold snap did not drop temperatures to the bitter cold level. The forecast for next week indicates that we will experience temperatures in the high forties.
For many people, particularly those who do not participate in any outdoor winter activities, this type of weather is welcome. There is no snow to remove from driveways and sidewalks, parking lots are not so icy, and the chances of getting in a car accident due to poor winter driving conditions are much less. But for those of us who enjoy getting out in the winter, this is a disappointing start to the season.
After putting away my motorcycle and road bicycle for the winter I was hoping to be able to get my Trek Farley 5 fat bike out on the snow bike trails before Christmas. The trails need a good base of snow to be packed down by the groomers before they are ridable. We have gotten a few inches of snow, but not nearly enough to open up the local trails.
A more important issue is what this type of weather will do to the local environment. The flora and fauna in this area thrive on normal winters, with a hard frost in the ground and a thick sheet of ice on the water. In their absence, the water levels fluctuate more than normal, and plants suffer in a variety of ways. Especially problematic for plants is a warm spell in January or February that "tricks" the plants into budding. A subsequent drop in temperatures can have a traumatic effect on the new buds. In addition, a hard frost kills off the bugs and insects that become a nuisance in the summer.
With apologies to those who are reveling in anticipation of forty-degree days in December, I for one am looking forward to some big snow and some normal December temperatures.
No comments:
Post a Comment