Mar 17, 2021 3 min read

It’s almost here! Can you feel it? Spring is right around the corner with daylight saving time, St. Patrick’s Day and warmer temperatures all hinting that we’re about to turn the corner and veer away from what has been a very snowy winter.

The snow started with 27.5 inches of the white stuff falling in Pittsburgh in December (the second most on record) and another 12 inches of snow coming in January. On top of that, 16.1 more inches of snow showed up in February. March put a stop to all of that, though, with a paltry 0.1-inch snowfall for the entire month so far! Warm, above-normal temperatures look to stick around the rest of the month, so that may be it for March snow. That dusting of snow this month is the second lowest amount for March on record in Pittsburgh with only a trace observed in March 1946, 1927, and 1903. That means we have a shot at holding on to second place for least snow in March in the ‘Burgh. The total for the entire winter season right now sits at 55.3 inches, and while that sounds like a high number, it doesn’t even rank in the top 20 for snowiest Pittsburgh winter seasons. In case you’re curious, our average snowfall in Pittsburgh each year is 41.9 inches.

So the snow is pretty much over (never say never – remember Mother’s Day last year?) but we’re also marking one year since the coronavirus pandemic made the world grind to a halt and put us all into lockdown and quarantine. It’s hard to believe it has been a whole year since, to me, it seems like time has flown by this past year. Maybe it’s all a blur because we weren’t doing anything but sitting on our sofas binge-watching television the whole year.

Now that winter has only a few days left, COVID-19 numbers are lower and vaccinations are underway, I feel like this spring is going to be epic in its feeling of rebirth, optimism and just overall relief. The spring season is always thought of as a time for growth as trees, flowers, shrubs and gardens begin to bud and take root. I’m hopeful that will also be the case for humankind as we return to being able to spend time with family and friends and get back to working together in person as well as having fun together in person.

We made it through the long, cold, snowy winter and through an even longer, darker, more difficult past year. There’s never been a time when we’ve needed spring more desperately.

Let’s hope that the sunshine, warmer air, flowers, birds and gardens will renew our sense of hope and joy. Heck, I may even briefly entertain the thought of the Pirates having a good baseball season. Even if the team isn’t any good, won’t it be nice to be able to go watch a game in person?

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.