Ticker for March 29, 2004

                
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March 29, 2004     March 29, 2004     March 29, 2004     March 29, 2004



Winter's Final Freeze: Some Dates

Spring's arrival is heralded by many signs. Daffodils lead with
their spiky stems and sunny petals. Redbuds explode from trunk to tip
in pastel perfection.  Blue Jays paint the skies with their colorful,
athletic beauty ... then ruin it all with their obnoxious, grating
and completely unredeeming so-called "song", not to mention their
general behavior.

... anyway ...

Spring is definitely gaining momentum on winter, whose hopes of
impact dwindle a little bit every day.  Several Ticker subscribers
have asked about the timing of last freeze of spring.  This is a
tough topic around here (see the April 1, 2002 Ticker for a mournful
lament: http://ticker.mesonet.org/select.php?mo=04&da=01&yr=2002 ).

On average, the last freeze of spring occurs during the last ten
days of March in the southern third of the state, the first ten days
of April in the northwestern half, and the middle ten days of April
in the Panhandle.  The operative words are "ON AVERAGE", as the
actual dates can vary widely.  In fact, the final freeze has occurred
as early as mid-February in southern Oklahoma, and as late as late-May
in the panhandle.

For a thorough statistical look at spring's last freeze dates, check
out OCS's Climate Information pages: http://climate.mesonet.org/
... click on "Normals and Extremes", then on "First/Last Freeze Days"