Last night it snowed. That, in itself, is not unusual for the second half of October. But normally we get flurries mixed with rain, and no accumulation. Yesterday a weather record for snow accumulation was broken. The official new record is 1.2 inches accumulation. The old record was “trace.” And unofficial reports coming in tell of as much as twice that accumulation.
The view from the porch around 7:30am. (Click to enlarge)
The hillside was past peak color two days ago, but still looked pretty.
Yesterday the high temperature was 42F (5.5C). Last year it was 72F (22C). Going back the next three years, it was 61F, 56F, and 68F in 2007, 2006, and 2005, respectively. It makes you wonder what this winter will bring. In 1993 we got a foot of snow on October 31st, and that turned into the worst winter I ever lived through.
Of course, this is all child’s play compared to Buffalo’s October 2006 snowstorm, so I’m trying hard to keep things in perspective. I generally figure there will be one mild day the first week in November to get the final clean up done, and they are predicting temperatures in the sixties next week, so I’m hoping I will still get to plant the box of a hundred crocuses I bought. So I’m trying hard not to panic. But it is disconcerting.
About Kathy Purdy
Kathy Purdy discovered the joys of writing in fourth grade, when she started corresponding with a former classmate. She's been writing letters ever since, first on looseleaf, then electronically, and now as weblog entries. That makes you, the blog reader, her pen pal. Her first independent (though frustrating) attempts at gardening were made in high school, though the gardening bug didn't bite hard until her mid-thirties, when she found herself mistress of a rural home on 15 acres. • USDA Hardiness Zone:4 • AHS Heat Zone: 3 • Location: rural; Southern Tier of NY • Geographic type: foothills of Appalachian Mountains • Soil Type: acid clay • Experience level: intermediate • Particular interests: colchicums, narcissus, cottage gardening, NY native plants, gardening with/for children
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
YIKES: I love snow but I love October more!
Wow, very beautiful. I can’t believe some people are already getting snow. It seems so early.
.-= Phillip´s last blog ..Where is the Fall color? =-.
Twitter: @truegrit
oh.my.goodness.
It is just TOO early to see that.
Twitter: @HelenYoest
We are still waiting for our first frost. Not yet, and not this week. It will actually be warming up again. If we got 1.2 inches, the schools would have closed and mad panic would ensue.
I hope you get your bulbs in.
H.
.-= Helen Yoest @ Gardening With Confidence´s last blog ..Sunday, October 18, 2009 Puttering in Helen’s Haven =-.
It’s true that the snow is a little early but as a native of snow country now living in Arizona for a variety of reasons, I envy you with both the beautiful fall foliage and the equally beautiful snow.
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one still planting bulbs and plants, racing the cold weather and nighttime freezes! Just got in my 85 bulbs and 6 perennials (sedum, coriopsis, and daylily) today. We had a trace of snow (in Syracuse) on Thursday morning but today it was almost 50F and sunny.
I’m sorry for you! It was blustery and rainy here, but thankfully no snow (yet)!
.-= Ramble on Rose´s last blog ..October Bloom Day =-.
Twitter: @CountryGardener
Wow, that’s amazing. So far we have been spared snow, but it has been colder than usual for mid-October. Are you finding that the fall color hasn’t been as good this year? That’s certainly our experience here in southern Ontario. The color is later and more muted than usual.
.-= Country Gardener´s last blog ..Overwintering our non-hardy succulents =-.
Wow. Pretty though.
Twitter: @reddirtramblin
Kathy, it must be as disconcerting as it is beautiful. I am always so impressed that you’re able to garden in such a cold climate, and I think often about your weather compared to mine. Hand tough.~~Dee
Twitter: @azplantlady
Hello,
Your photos of the snowy landscape are beautiful, even though it is a little early. I understand what you mean about the changing weather. It is hard to know what to expect anymore, you can hardly call weather ‘normal’ anymore. I hope it warms up so that you can plant your Crocus bulbs
.-= Noelle´s last blog ..Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October 2009 =-.
disconcerting is one word for it! I still have actual plants to plant!
.-= Lynn´s last blog ..September color =-.
Twitter: @suburbangarden
Snow on leaves just isn’t right. This happened to us in Chicagoland in October 2006, too. It’s so depressing.
.-= Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..After the Freeze -October Bloom Day =-.
Twitter: @bwisegardens
This southern gal is a little jealous of the snow! All we’ve had is cold rain and gray skies. FYI – if we’d had a snow like that down here in Tennessee, school would be out for two days and all grocery stores would be emptied of milk and bread.
A few flurries mixed with rain last night – and hoping that we’ll get a couple of weeks with nicer, somewhat warm temps before the “deep freeze”.
Of your two photos I definitely prefer the one from two days ago.
brrrr…….
Lene
.-= Salix´s last blog ..Salix koriyanagi ‘Rubykins’ =-.
OMG! It puts me back to reality. I am still kind of with one foot in summer yet. But I agree with other commenters, it looks good. Stay warm!
.-= Tatyana´s last blog ..Purple Frame Blooms of October =-.
Twitter: @gardenfix
Kathy, As disappointing as it is for a gardener to see snow in mid-October, on an objective level you have to admit it’s a very pretty sight. As your photo illustrates.
About your Corydalis question on our blog: Here, it’s sandy soil which is well drained, to say the least. My corydalis grows best in the cracks between my patio paving stones or in the tiny space between the asphalt and house bricks on my neighbour’s (slightly sunnier) side of the driveway. From this, I intuit that they like cool feet that’s moist but not wet, and partial shade. All attempts to get them to grow in the dry, dry shade of my front garden have failed. The mother plant of all my babies is in almost full shade all day. I should say that it showed the classic sleep, creep, leap pattern when first planted.
Twitter: @gardenfix
Oops. I see I’ve missed a word or two up there: they like cool feet *and soil* that’s moist but not wet.
.-= Helen at Toronto Gardens´s last blog ..Frost? Time to rescue annuals & houseplants =-.
Better you than me
Last year early snow in Oct took down one of my maple trees that had not dropped it’s leaves yet.
I did see a couple of flurries yesterday