It was last November that I ruminated on the various predictions for this winter’s weather. In my unrelenting quest for fairness, I looked at everything from scientific models to wooly bear caterpillars. So far, our winter here in the northeast could be called “interesting,” although I have heard Rhode Islanders using other choice words to describe it. We’ve had more or less weekly storms, some with snow, and others with freezing rain and rain. We had to wear crampons on our boots for more than a week just to walk our dog.

So what’s responsible for these weather events? It seems convenient to blame La Nina, so I will. After all, climate scientists say La Nina is responsible for the horrific floods and the cyclone in Australia. It’s also to blame for the winter storms in Europe, the blizzards that rolled across the U.S. and for the below freezing temperatures in places like New Mexico.

This has been a strong La Nina year, but it is supposed to weaken right about now. The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a few more snow days in February, with average to slightly below average temperatures. March will see some warming, but isn’t March ALWAYS  warmer?

Around here, the cardinals started singing their spring song about a week ago. That’s a good enough prediction for me.