Tale of Two Towns (in Western MA)

North Amherst - 9 am, March 14 (2" of snow)
Photo by Sharon Vardatira

Hawley, MA - 7 am (first photo), 11 am (second photo)
Photos by Brittany Wolcott

Tale of two Western MA towns this morning:

- Photo 1: The view from North Amherst, where 2 inches of snow is bending branches to the ground (this does not bode well, though power is still humming at 9 am). And it continues to snow...

- Photo 2: Sent at 7:00 a.m. from "that friend in a hill town who always reports blockbuster amounts," (Brittany Wolcott, actually in Hawley, who is giddy with excitement even though they've been without power since 2 am).

UPDATE at 11:00 AM from Brittany in Hawley (see yardstick photo #3, just added)!

UPDATE 11:11 AM - Power here in N. Amherst went out briefly for about 4 seconds. I am envisioning local folks suddenly lurching for their charging stations.

UPDATE 12:45 PM - Temp has climbed to 34.3 F in North Amherst, just high enough to melt the snow off most power lines (thankfully before the second wave of snow, along with wind, this afternoon and evening). After a late morning lull, the snow has picked up again.

UPDATE 12:45 PM - Temp has climbed to 34.3 F in North Amherst, just high enough to melt the snow off most power lines (thankfully before the second wave of snow, along with wind arrives this afternoon and evening). After a late morning lull, the snow has picked up again.

UPDATE 5:00 PM - Snow resumed early afternoon, now snowing steadily, with the temp dropping incrementally - it now stands at 32.9 F. Hard to gauge the total snowfall, as we had midday melting. Maybe about 3 inches altogether, with more like 2 inches still on the ground. Looks like we may well end up where the forecast predicted, in the 2-6 inch zone.

UPDATE 8:33 PM - Friend in Hawley just measured 35" of snow. Still no power. She has taken refuge for the night with family members who have a generator!

UPDATE 5:00 PM, Next Day (March 15): Friend in Hawley, at 1,000 feet, has 36+ inches of snow on the ground (drifts make it hard to tell exactly how much), and they just got their power back. In North Amherst, there's 1-2 inches of snow still on the ground (with some melting today). I was hoping for warmer and more thorough melting, but temps hung around 35 F, meaning the heavy/wet ground cover lingers.

Foggy Morning

Foggy morning, Amherst MA ~
by Jim Patten

The weather varies between heavy fog and pale sunshine; My thoughts follow the exact same process.                                                                                 - Virginia Woolf

The sun is actually shining right now, for a welcome change. In other sights and sounds, many thanks to Jim Patten for sharing this foggy morning view, which he captured yesterday while driving to work in Amherst.

Jim will be familiar to many Head in the Clouds Amherst followers, as he has been sharing photos with us for a number of years now. One of his winter photos graced the cover of our 2021 wall calendar, and he landed in the calendar once again this year, with the featured photo for July. As always, thanks for generously sharing your work, Jim!

Clouds on Ice

Connecticut River from Dawson Conservation Area
North Lane, Hadley
Photo by Mandana Marsh 

As a month that famously comes “in like a lion,” and goes “out like a lamb,” it’s always challenging to pick a single photo to match the mood of the month. For this year and the beginning of March, at least, we seem to have made the right choice. This photo of the Connecticut River – taken by Mandana Marsh from Dawson Conservation Area on North Lane, Hadley – is the featured photo for March in the 2023 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. As Mandana notes, “The sweeping views of the river, fields and sky from the levee along North Lane in Hadley never disappoints. This winter scene fits a favorite quote of mine: ‘If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.’ ”

Winter turns to spring this month, so expect an entirely different view four weeks from now. As Mark Twain (and many others) have observed, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a few minutes.”