It snowed in parts of our region last weekend, and in some places, it's snowing today. Does that surprise you? It shouldn’t. It's different in some parts of our country, but here on the East Coast, we almost always get snow in April and often in May.
Grandma was never surprised when it snowed after the spring equinox, even in Ontario. She was always quick to remind us that there would be three more snows after the first day of spring.
Low and behold, after I moved here, I learned that according to Maritime folklore, the Annapolis Valley always receives three snowfalls after the March equinox. They are so predictable that they have been given names:
The first snow is the smelt snow: it’s believed that the smelt would start to run after the first spring snow.
The second snowfall following the equinox is the robin snow; according to folklore, this snowfall brings them back.
And finally, the green grass snow; Grandma often referred to it as poor man’s fertilizer. I think this one is an attempt to put a positive spin on a very late snowfall.
Last spring, Floyd Woodworth reached out to tell me about another snowfall that, according to his father, usually fell after the smelt snow: “It was called the ‘little pig snow’ because that’s when baby pigs were born.” Mr. Woodworth was raised in Carrolls Corner, Halifax County.
Can spring snowfalls be so predictable that they are given names? Perhaps.
In March and April, frontal boundaries start to push through as the jet stream attempts to shift from its winter position to a more summertime one. The big puffy snowflakes are often associated with a warm front. Behind a warm front, there is often a dry slot and some sun!
Warm spring sunshine could trigger the smelt migration, bring the birds out of the woods and maybe even make the grass green.
As much as I love snow, I don’t feel the need to see it in May. Fingers crossed!
Some weather statistics:
I decided to check last year’s weather statistics; here's what I found.
Snowfalls after the 2020 spring equinox:
Halifax: 12 cm (6 cm in April and 3 cm in May)
Charlottetown: 5 cm
Sydney: 10 cm (75 cm of snow in April alone)
St. John’s: 9 cm
Deer Lake: 18 cm (15 cm fell in May)
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Cindy Day is the chief meteorologist for SaltWire Network
