Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow on Groundhog Day, meaning we’ll have an early spring. Today, children are celebrating their first “Snow Day” of the season.
Just like the ocean life is a constant ebb and flow.
“El Nino” has become street jargon for those living in New England this winter. After a long, snowy winter last year, we embraced this year’s fair weather early on in the season – almost fearing that speaking of it would jinx our luck. However, February arrived with conflicted feelings: do we miss the snow or should we rejoice in an early spring?
El Nino weather patterns can be more of an art than a science due to their unpredictable nature. Occurring every 2 to 7 years, El Nino weather is caused by a warming of the Pacific Ocean that results from weakened trade winds – allowing traditional western-Pacific warmth to flow eastward. This year’s El Nino influence is one of the strongest ever recorded; only comparable to that which we experienced in 1997-98 & 1982-83.
It has been a winter of options: our local ski conditions are surprisingly great, hiking trails are clear, shallow ponds are frozen for skating, rail trails are open for biking, and coffee shops still have outdoor seating on the sidewalk.
Our beautiful Berkshire region has multitude of personalities this winter, embrace the gifts of an El Nino winter by enjoying various outdoor adventures regardless of which way the wind blows.
