COLUMBUS, Ohio – It may not have been the “polar vortex” but the winter of 2014-15 was no cream puff either.
READ MORE: In the Columbus Dispatch
The past three months sure have felt like the longest winter ever.
Maybe it was the 32.5 inches of snow that fouled our commutes and tested our backs. Or perhaps it was the nearly month-long stretch of below-normal temperatures that froze our fingers and pipes.
Since Dec. 20, the average temperature was lower than normal on 52 days, including 27 days strung through February and early March.
“When we got warmer, we didn’t get that much warmer,” said John Franks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio. “Some of those cold snaps were definitely chilly.”
By the numbers, Columbus was 20 inches shy of last winter’s snow total. Still, Columbus saw about 8 inches more than normal. So, sure, it was bad. But it wasn’t 2013-14 bad.
There is, however, more than one way to measure winter. What about those crawling commutes? Or days that demanded sweaters on top of hoodies on top of long underwear? Or the number of school cancellations blamed on snow and/or cold?
But check the calendar, Columbus. Spring is here (6:45 p.m. Fri.). Allergy sufferers already know it.
Air monitors in Dayton, the closest pollen-counting station, detected moderate pollen levels a week ago, mostly from trees, and those rose with temperatures this week. They peaked on Monday, when temperatures soared into the high 60s.