Is it over yet?

In a few days, it will be Spring. March 20 is the magical date. As a harbinger of the end of winter, Daylight Saving Time starts this Sunday.

The snow berms are gone. Temperatures are generally above freezing. And, the days are longer.

What more can anyone ask?

The long nightmare is coming to an end. It has been cold, snowy, wet and dark for too long.

The wearisome long winter made one commiserate with the Donner Party and wonder over the mishaps of the Ernest Shakleford expeditions. At its worst, one was prompted to think of Napoleon’s retreat from Russia or the shoeless Americans at Valley Forge.

Frosty the Snowman would have just recently been whisked off to the North Pole to come back another day.

Prognosticators claim that April and May will be slightly warmer and drier than normal. No snow is predicted after April, and it is way too early to worry about the six straight months of snow predicted for the end of this year and beginning of next year.

The tide has turned, but it is not entirely over. More snow is predicted through this month with a good run of freezing lows and days primarily in the 40 degree range.

By the end of April, predictions indicate some days in the mid to high 60 degrees. In May, the highs are predicted to get into the 70s and shifting to a hotter than normal summer.

Nothing is for sure, but all indications are that the worst is over. Soon, we’ll be down to only two layers of clothing.

In Arizona and points south, the stouter snowbirds are already packing up and getting ready to return home. The more fragile ones may wait awhile.

Those who waited out the winter here deserve some real credit. They will be able to tell their grandchildren about the winter of 2016-17 and share stories straight out of Jack London.

And, like the grandchildren, they can all safely ask “Is it over yet?”

For those sorry to see it end, there is always the southern hemisphere. Winter will be there soon and Tierra del Fuego is the perfect stopping off point.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher