10 Reasons Why You Should Be Excited About March
BOSTON (CBS) - Got the New England winter blues? Had it with shoveling, scraping, and freezing? Tired of being pent up in the house every weekend with the kids while another snow storm rages outdoors?
If you are a winter hater or perhaps just have had enough and are ready for spring I am full of good news.
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Cheer up buckaroo, things are just about ready to turn around.
March in New England is truly a month of change.
So here are my top ten reasons (in no particular order) why you should turn that winter frown upside-down and rejoice that March is here.
10) Temperatures are rising!!
The average daytime highs will go from 42 degrees on March 1st to 51 degrees on March 31st.
9) Boston averages just 7 inches of snow in March
That's much less than January and February AND in recent years we have had very little snow, just about 2 inches combined in the last 3 years! (0.6", 1.3", 0.2")
8) There is PLENTY of snow in the Mountains
So if you are a skier or find yourself missing the white stuff, hop in the car and drive north. There should be enough to last all month up there.
7) Sunshine
We average about 57-percent of the available sunshine in the month of March, more than any month since October.
6) Summer-like periods
Last March, we had 7 days which had temperatures 70 degrees or higher. On March 22nd last year we actually hit 83 degrees in Boston! So there is a chance of seeing summer-like periods in March. Although I gotta say, last March was extremely rare with 3 days reaching record highs and the 83 degrees was an astounding 11 degrees above the old record for that date.
5) Heating bills start to shrink
Of course this is highly dependent upon what type of March we have, but typically there is more money in your pocket thanks to Mother Nature.
4) The sap is running!
One of the best traditions in New England in March is maple syruping - the festivals, the pancake breakfasts, good times!
3) Daylight Saving Time
It begins on March 10th. Back in 2007, Congress made the change from early April to the second weekend of March. So in just a little over a week we will turn the clocks ahead. Sunset on March 1st: 5:34 p.m. Sunset on March 31: 7:09 p.m. WOW!
2) Spring officially begins
This year it's March 20th at 7:02 a.m. This means that from that day forward, the Earth will begin the tilt towards the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning longer days and higher sun angle. So even if we do get a renegade snow storm or two, the snow never sticks around very long in March.
1) Flowers are already starting to sprout!
We have received dozens of viewer pictures over the last few days showing the first signs of life in their backyards. The month of March typically brings the first signs of daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths and hostas. If you remember last year, many garden centers actually started stocking their pansies in late March, again a bit earlier than normal. And with Easter falling on March 31st this year, the Easter lilies will be on the shelves as well!
So there you go, while it is certainly too early to put away the boots and winter coat just yet, there is a lot to look forward to in the month of March!
You can follow Terry on Twitter at @TerryWBZ.
