Today is the first day of spring, when the sun crosses over the celestial equator into the Northern Hemisphere.
Colorado, after suffering through two months of heavy snowfalls, has dried out and warmed up, to the point where daffodils are beginning to bloom and some trees are sprouting young leaves.
“The snows we had really don’t have anything to do with the arrival of spring,” said Carl Wilson, a horticulturist at the CSU cooperative extension in Denver. “They provide moisture, which is good. If anything, they left more of a psychological residue.”
Wilson said plants in the metro area are right on schedule for coming out of their winter dormancy, with maple trees beginning to blossom, willows leafing out and bulb flowers like daffodils and early iris starting to bloom.
“Things look OK to me,” Wilson said.
Spring skiing is at its best with plenty of snowpack. Bright sunny skies have the overnight ice melted off the slopes by late morning, leaving wonderful corn snow for showing off those turns.
Another good indicator of spring’s arrival is the fewer layers of clothing on office workers strolling during lunch hours. No longer are men wearing overcoats, or even sport jackets, and women have shed even more, down to skirts and sleeveless tops.
Already, the temperatures have reached into the high 70s.
Forecasts for the remainder of the week call for lower temperatures and some moisture. A low-pressure system, if it develops over Colorado, could even drop some snow as low as the 4,500-foot level in eastern Colorado, according to the National Weather Service.
Rain could fall Saturday on the metro area, as far south as Castle Rock and Monument. Sunday should return into the 60s with plenty of sunshine.
