Tuesday March 19, 2013

We don’t know about you, but we’re ready for winter to end and for spring to get under way.

While in all reality, it’s been a relatively mild winter, we are not looking forward to getting in the ring again with Mother Nature; but listening to the meteorologists, it appears she is swinging a knockout punch our way. As we write this, the skies over Brattleboro are gray, but as you read this, if the weather pundits are right, you will be watching heavy flakes fall outside your window.

At about 4 p.m. on Monday, we received a press release from the New Hampshire State Police calling for six to 18 inches of snow -- talk about hedging your bets!

"This snow is predicted to be heavy and wet; therefore, we are anticipating scattered power outages, particularly across the southeast part of New Hampshire," stated the press release. "Mixed precipitation and/or changeover from snow to sleet or rain is possible in the southeast. If this changeover does not occur, snowfall amounts will increase considerably."

Though the snow may not last long, as temperatures are expected to be in the upper 30s later this week, we may be in for more snow this month.

Tom Kines, a meteorologist with Accuweather told Bloomberg a weather pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation is keeping cooler air bottled up in the Northeast while bringing storms to our region. He believes the pattern will continue into April.

"Then it is

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going to go right from winter to early summer," he said.

We’ve seen that pattern in the past few years: Winter to summer with very little spring in-between. Many of us live for the warm days and cool nights of spring, but the past few years we’ve seen very little of that, seemingly going from blankets to air conditioners in the span of a week or two.

But right now, we’re checking the oil on our snowblowers and putting our snow shovels next to our front doors.

Even though the best place to be during a snowstorm is either on the ski slopes or at home, most of us who need to pay our bills don’t have either of those options.

We know you’ve been hearing it all winter long, but if you must be on the roadways during this storm, slow down and allow extra space between your vehicle and others. Keep both hands on the wheel and eyes on the road and not on your personal digital devices. Driving in a snowstorm is not the time to be driving while distracted.

While it isn’t against the law to drive with snow piled on top of your car, it is illegal to drive with an obstructed view, so take a few minutes to clear all the snow off your car -- and that includes clearing it from your brake light and turn signals -- before you head home today.

We hope this is the last time for a while that we have to warn you about the weather and driving on snow-covered roads. We sure are ready for the end of the winter and everything the spring brings -- flowers, green trees, garden plans, bike rides, walks where our feet don’t get wet and cold, and being outside in shorts and T-shirts.

C’mon Mother Nature, give us a break!