Equinox is on Monday, maybe spring will show up, too
Version 0 of 1. On Saturday, which was the 77th day of 2017, it was possible to sense that winter, as we had known it this year, was on the verge of ceding the city to spring. Saturday was Washington’s first warmer-than-normal day in a week. The high temperature of 59 degrees was warmer than any day in Washington since March 10, when it was 60. Saturday was a marked departure from the rest of last week, which could, with little exaggeration, be called harsh. On Wednesday, for example, Washington was provided with a vivid one-day example of winter’s potential to be unpleasant. At Reagan National Airport the mercury could climb no higher than 33 degrees, just one above freezing. Meanwhile, winds reached 35 mph, with at least one gust of 47. Snow and ice that had fallen earlier in the week remained on the streets, enhancing the wintry feel. The snow that lay on the streets had fallen Monday and Tuesday. On those two days, more snow fell at Reagan National Airport had fallen all season until then. It is true, of course, that none of last week’s snow amounts was particularly impressive. March 13 brought 1.1 inches of snow, and the next day’s figure was 0.9, for a total of two inches. In many years that would be trivial. But until the 13th and 14th , the figure for the entire season was 1.4 inches. It was so little that many of us felt free to claim we had not had any at all. Forecasts do not suggest that from now on all will be bright blue skies and fleecy white clouds. However, none of the predictions seem to suggest that last week’s conditions will soon be seen again. And on Monday, the spring equinox will occur at 6:29 a.m. For six months thereafter, there will be more hours of daylight than of darkness, and the power of the sun will be a major presence in our lives. |