No Snow Day This Week ! Happy Equinox and Hello Eōstre!

Friday's (March 20) snow won't start until the afternoon so the best I can give you is an early dismissal along the coast and maybe some after-school activities cut short in Weha, so lets think about something better - the Spring Equinox, the day that both northern and southern hemispheres get the same amount of daylight.  The direct rays of the sun will be over the equator at 6:45 pm EST and heading north!
Nearly every religion has similar holidays - something at the solstices and equinoxes having to do with lights and fire and the return or leaving of the Sun.  

And since the growing seasons change with increasing or decreasing sunlight there is something in between, such as All Hallow's Eve (Hallowe'en) which marks the end of the growing season and the start of the cold, dark, leafless winter, and Easter which marks the start of spring flowers.

Many of the "Christian" holidays on the calendar have ancient roots.  Missionaries knew that you can't just erase old customs, so they re-branded them.


Eōstre is an example. Now it is attached to the lunar calendar (the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the equinox) but it is very much a spring holiday. 

Eōstre appears to have been a Germanic / Celtic goddess of the return of life in the spring (rebirth, like the Christian Easter and the Jewish Passover - note that the Spanish name for Easter is Pascua) and fertility in general.  She has given her name to Easter and the "female" hormone estrogen.  Her ancestors would have included fertility goddesses going back through Astarte and Ishtar.

The Seder plate - eggs, green plants,
eggs, and the Paschal lamb.

Easter and its cognates are about the return of life in the spring.  The symbols of these holidays are the symbols of fertility, such as eggs, green plants, baby chicks and rabbits.


Another spring equinox holiday is Nevruz, an ancient Persian holiday still celebrated in Turkey.  According to the old Persian calendar, the equinox is the first day of the year and the start of spring.  Sound familiar?  I'm off to check it out this year. 

Dutchman's will soon be blooming.

Certainly this year, where winter has outstayed its welcome, it will be a good thing to see the returning green and the blooming flowers.

I'm Melting!

Winter is dying! 

Its blood is dripping off roofs and down drainspouts and rushing along the roads.  Streams are coming to life in the woods.  The sound of water is everywhere, and the birds are singing a dirge (if you can call various forms of “hey baby, check out my cool feathers” a dirge).

Yes, there is a chance of a few inches of yuck Friday night into Saturday morning, but the death of Winter is always a messy thing.

Under the snow the bulbs are growing, and as soon as you can see a bit of green there will be violets, dandelions, and snowdrops blooming!

Sorry To Do This.....

There is a car under there.

But it does look like the snow, while not heavy north of Rt 84, will last long enough to cause some late openings in Central CT on Thursday, March 5.

Another day to get up, dig out, and head off for school.

I’ll bet a nickel that WeHa starts on time…

Fall Down, Go Boom!

Last night it snowed, then the snow turned to sleet and the sleet turned to rain.

This morning all of the schools in my prediction area had a late opening – except for Avon and WeHa.  There comes a time when getting in the school days becomes more important than a few flooded roads. 

Won't it be fun when this freezes solid tonight!

Tonight the temperature will drop below freezing and it will snow again. 

[There won’t be much snow so I am saying that most schools will have a normal day tomorrow.] 

Sorry – light snow will continue into the day tomorrow, and some schools might open late.  I’ll bet a nickel that WeHa starts on time…

However!  Everything is soggy today and will freeze into a solid block of ice tonight.  I hope you have more sand and snow for your driveways and sidewalks, and be careful on the ice.  Because the odds of you falling down and going boom are pretty high.

Tuesday Night Update

This is a really difficult one to call.  The snow will be changing over to sleet and freezing rain tonight and then ending around 1 am.

I am trying to balance the administration's desire to get the school year over before June 30, the ending of the storm long before dawn, the fact that the roads, driveways, and school buses will be covered with ice, and the temperature will be close to freezing until noon.

I am going to risk my reputation as a Weather Guesser by going out on a limb and saying that there will be a late school opening in Connecticut on Wednesday.

Even if I am wrong, you will have to get out early and remove ice from your cars and driveways.

As for Thursday ....  late?  closed?  Stay tuned.

Massive Collision in Connecticut - Thousands Inconvenienced

A typical New England air collision

The collision is a common one in Connecticut;  Freezing air from Canada meets warm, wet air from the Gulf of Mexico.   

Tuesday afternoon there will be snow.  Expect that some after-school and evening events will be canceled.

There is one more chance to clear snow off buildings, as tonight’s rain will be the final straw for overburdened roofs.

The snow will change to ice and freezing rain Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.  As of Tuesday morning it looks like it will be all rain by sunrise on Wednesday, but ice and road flooding produce about a 50-50 chance of a late school opening Wednesday.  No matter what, traveling to work on Wednesday will be a mess.  Be prepared and allow extra time.

The rain will change back to freezing rain, sleet, and snow Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.  It is still too early for exact timing, but the water on the roads and sidewalks will have frozen solid overnight.  I will update this later, but right now I see a chance of school closings.