Has spring *knocks on wood* already sprung? Earlier this week, I went on a walk through the North End and saw more than one tree already beginning to form buds. But what do you expect when we started February with a high of 60°? If only that May breeze didn’t inspire a dose of climate dread. 🫠
☀️ New High-Temp Records in January, February
Punxsutawney Phil seems to have been correct about an early spring, but the last month in Boise may be reason to suspect the beloved groundhog didn’t go far enough.
Four of the 45 days in 2024 so far have seen record daily high temperatures in Boise, thanks to a heatwave spanning the last three days of January and the first of February.
Those highs of 58°, 61°, 66° (❗), and 60° respectively are at or near the all-time monthly highs for each month as well.
Beyond the records, and more distressingly for Idaho’s snowpack, the mercury has only dipped below freezing a handful of times since the formidable series of snowstorms that buried Boise in mid-January.
❄️ Winter Precipitation and Snowfall (So Far)
The good news is that those snowstorms buoyed snowfall to 16.8 inches above the monthly average for Boise, although it all melted down to just less than an inch above the normal precipitation amount.
In February, we’re well below a normal snow month, but — at just halfway through the month — we’re outpacing the average amount of precipitation in February already, at 1.4 inches.
Winding the tape all the way back to December, our winter looks a little more balanced and hearty. We had marginally less precipitation than normal, and the average daily highs and lows were four or five degrees above historical averages, which is, unfortunately, the new normal.
A little garden reminder: The USDA updated its plant hardiness zone map last year to reflect — you guessed it — the changing climate. It's the first update in 11 years, so check if your garden planning should go the same way it has in the past!
