Three snows before winter goes
Grandma was never surprised when it snowed after the spring equinox. She was al-ways quick to remind us that there would be three more snows after the first day of spring.
Lo and behold, after I moved to Atlantic Canada, I learned that according to Nova Scotia folklore, the An-napolis Valley always receives three snowfalls after the March equinox. They are so predictable, they have been given names.
The first snowfall is the smelt snow; it's believed the smelt would start to run after the first spring snow.
The second snow follow-ing the equinox is the robin snow; according to folklore, this snowfall brings them back. (Those who did indeed migrate.)
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 and keep some people from crying.
So is there any truth to this? Well, in March, frontal boundaries start to push through as the jet stream at-tempts to shift from its winter position to a more summer-time one. Snow often falls on the leading edge of a system that is travelling through with mild air. That was the case yesterday. Behind the wet weather, there is often a dry slot and some sun, like today. That warm spring sunshine could trigger the smelt migra-tion, bring the birds out of the woods, and maybe even make the grass green.
I decided to check last year's weather statistics. I found that most of us experienced four snowfalls after the spring equinox; Mother Nature was kind enough to toss in a bonus snowfall around April 16. Residents of Deer Lake, N.L., 'enjoyed' eight snow events following the official start of the spring season. The latest measurable snowfall in Atlan-tic Canada was May 6 when two cm. of snow fell at the Deer Lake airport.
Here's hoping Mother Nature doesn't feel the need to be quite so generous this year!