CLEVELAND (WJW) — Our chances for a white winter in 2023 came and went and now the beginnings of spring green buds might be popping up in Northeast Ohio sooner than expected.
FOX 8 meteorologists broke down the amount of snowfall over the last 10 years, showing only 18″ total as we round out the last week of meteorological winter in 2023. March 1 is that start of meteorological spring!
From the start of the snowy season through Feb. 15, we only saw 14 days with at least 1″ of snow on the ground:
FOX 8 meteorologist Jenn Harcher explains that it’s actually spring’s warmth and abundant sunshine that encourage buds to open.
But we’ve had a high number of days with above-normal, spring-like temperatures all winter:
Almost two dozen days reached at or above 50°!
“If our temperature trend continues, the beginnings of spring color on the trees will run at least three weeks or more ahead of schedule here in northern Ohio,” FOX 8 meteorologist Scott Sabol said.
Scott explained that the occurrence of buds and leaf beginnings along the Ohio River is maybe a once in a 30-year occurrence in late February.
Astronomical spring, also known as the spring equinox, is March 20. We turn clocks back March 12.
Stay tuned for Jenn Harcher’s look at how the unseasonably warm winter is impacting Northeast Ohio’s maple syrup production.
