March, it has been said, comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. I can see some truth in that.
March is a moody month — after all, it begins in winter and ends in spring (which this year arrives March 20). The two seasons seem to battle for supremacy during March, perhaps a reason it was named for Mars, the Roman god of war.
Winter seems determined to hang on in March, while spring seems anxious to get underway. During March, we may see thunderstorms and highs approaching 80 degrees one day and the next day have freezing temperatures that nip early buds.
In summing up March, astronomer and author Fred Schaaf said: “Most of us have learned to expect nothing from March except the unexpected. We should be well aware that weather in this month is a throw of the dice, a total gamble.”
Even so, there are some certainties about March. For instance, it’s almost certain that at least part of the month will be breezy, as it has been through the ages. With the sun rapidly heating up the Earth’s surface, pockets of warm air form. The warm air moves northward toward cold, dense arctic air flowing southward. When the air masses meet, they create differing pressures, which, in turn, create strong winds.
With the days growing longer, we also can be certain of a rapidly increasing amount of daylight in March. On March 31, the sun will rise nearly an hour earlier than it did on March 1.
Daylight Saving Time also now begins in March. In 2007, a new law signed by President George W. Bush set DST to begin at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March (March 13 this year). Before then, we were setting our clocks an hour ahead on the first Sunday in April.
The struggle between winter and spring won’t last long. Spring always wins. Early signs of its annual triumph already are popping up in Georgia. Yellow jessamine, trout lilies and bloodroot are blooming. The flush of pink creeping through the woods and along our highways now is the blooms of red maples. Bluebirds are nesting. And an abundance of wild animal babies — bobcats, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, rabbits — are being born.
In the sky: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon will be new Tuesday. All of the visible planets are rising in the east right now: Mercury, low in the sky just before sunrise; Venus (near the moon Monday), about an hour before sunrise; Jupiter, around dusk; Saturn, just after dark.
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