We once again dodged a bullet down here, snow wise. It came down for a bit, but it’s thick and slushy, and most of the time something fell from the sky, it was rain.
Generally speaking, snow doesn’t stay here for that long anymore. Yes, there have been patches of days that are cold, but they never last too long, and usually give way to temperatures that are above freezing.
It wasn’t this way when I was growing up. Back then, it snowed, and snow stayed on the ground for a while. You’d always see it on the sides of the road, remnants of storms from weeks ago. Now, it usually melts away.
Yes, I’m sure there are a few winters left where a chunk of the Polar Vortex will tear away from the North Pole and head down here, making it cold for a while. That chunk will melt away, though, and then the successive winters will be warmer.
Most of the time, when I’m outside, a hoodie is all I need. And again, I remember when it wasn’t this way; when I was a kid, I needed my down jacket for a good long time. Now, most of the time, my winter coat stays in the closet.
I still see snow in New England. It’a always a few degrees colder up there, and often, the difference between down here and up there is the difference between water and ice, so it snows up there and rains down here. Also, the snow stays there, while here, it goes away quickly.
It took forever for the leaves to fall off the trees down here. That true autumn snap didn’t come along until late this year, and the leaves just stayed on the trees, turning brown. Maybe I wasn’t really keeping my eyes open, but somehow, it felt as if this year, fall foliage never really happened.
And now we’re almost done with winter. Perhaps, over the next few weeks, another chunk of the Polar Vortex will tear off, and it will be freakishly cold for a few days. People will no doubt talk about the stupidity of saying that the earth is getting warmer.
Meanwhile, there will be less and less of the Polar Vortex to keep all that Arctic ice frozen. It will melt. It will cause sea levels to rise.
There are whole cities that will be gone. New Orleans will be a memory by they end of the century. There are other coastal cities that will either be gone, or change drastically.
There’s just this strange disconnect between the way this immediately feels, and the way that it makes me feel as I contemplate the bigger picture. On one hand, hey, it’s balmy down here, and the winters have gotten a lot less harsh. I don’t have to brace myself for the cold weather quite the way I used to.
And considering that the weather here now seems to be similar to the way that weather was a bit father south a little while back, I suppose that soon New England will be the way it is down here. It will be pleasant, no doubt; there will be far less snow, and far fewer days that are bitterly cold. It will be possible to go for a walk, most days, wearing just a hoodie to keep warm.
Of course, it may be necessary to move first, as large sections of coastal New England will be under water, but still, it will be pleasant. Balmy.
And, I suppose, every so often, a chunk of the dwindling Polar Vortex will tear off, and for a few days, it will be cold the way it used to be. People will say this proves that the New England is not getting warmer.
And so it goes.
Generally speaking, snow doesn’t stay here for that long anymore. Yes, there have been patches of days that are cold, but they never last too long, and usually give way to temperatures that are above freezing.
It wasn’t this way when I was growing up. Back then, it snowed, and snow stayed on the ground for a while. You’d always see it on the sides of the road, remnants of storms from weeks ago. Now, it usually melts away.
Yes, I’m sure there are a few winters left where a chunk of the Polar Vortex will tear away from the North Pole and head down here, making it cold for a while. That chunk will melt away, though, and then the successive winters will be warmer.
Most of the time, when I’m outside, a hoodie is all I need. And again, I remember when it wasn’t this way; when I was a kid, I needed my down jacket for a good long time. Now, most of the time, my winter coat stays in the closet.
I still see snow in New England. It’a always a few degrees colder up there, and often, the difference between down here and up there is the difference between water and ice, so it snows up there and rains down here. Also, the snow stays there, while here, it goes away quickly.
It took forever for the leaves to fall off the trees down here. That true autumn snap didn’t come along until late this year, and the leaves just stayed on the trees, turning brown. Maybe I wasn’t really keeping my eyes open, but somehow, it felt as if this year, fall foliage never really happened.
And now we’re almost done with winter. Perhaps, over the next few weeks, another chunk of the Polar Vortex will tear off, and it will be freakishly cold for a few days. People will no doubt talk about the stupidity of saying that the earth is getting warmer.
Meanwhile, there will be less and less of the Polar Vortex to keep all that Arctic ice frozen. It will melt. It will cause sea levels to rise.
There are whole cities that will be gone. New Orleans will be a memory by they end of the century. There are other coastal cities that will either be gone, or change drastically.
There’s just this strange disconnect between the way this immediately feels, and the way that it makes me feel as I contemplate the bigger picture. On one hand, hey, it’s balmy down here, and the winters have gotten a lot less harsh. I don’t have to brace myself for the cold weather quite the way I used to.
And considering that the weather here now seems to be similar to the way that weather was a bit father south a little while back, I suppose that soon New England will be the way it is down here. It will be pleasant, no doubt; there will be far less snow, and far fewer days that are bitterly cold. It will be possible to go for a walk, most days, wearing just a hoodie to keep warm.
Of course, it may be necessary to move first, as large sections of coastal New England will be under water, but still, it will be pleasant. Balmy.
And, I suppose, every so often, a chunk of the dwindling Polar Vortex will tear off, and for a few days, it will be cold the way it used to be. People will say this proves that the New England is not getting warmer.
And so it goes.
