New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff
The sun has won! Yet another flood on the Suncook River
Wednesday 03/03/2010
What a wild and wooly ride the last week has been. Tops was the "winter hurricane" that literally swept through here Thursday night. While winds at the Concord airport were clocked at 68 mph just below hurricane force, our seacoast actually had wind gusts closer to 100 mph well into hurricane type winds.
Luckily I was spared any damage save for the dead top of the red maple out front that broke off and lay across the power line. I even awoke to power Friday morning while a mile down the road my mother was in the dark. But Friday night's snow was enough to eventually short the line putting me out of power for a couple days. Luckily I have town water and a propane hot water tank so a hot shower was shared with my neighbors for a few days until they got their power back Tuesday.
By Friday the 5 or 6 inches of rain had brought the Suncook River up to flood stage once again. Seems like an annual event now. Though this was not another 100-year flood like the last three since 2005 it was not that far off. The meadow and corn field below me was totally under water for three days. That had happened only two or three times over the previous 25 years before 2005. To those who don't believe in climate change I suggest they look outside once in a while. Five floods in five years, something is going on that never used to be.
And the deluge of rain took nearly all the snow away. And temperatures have been running into the 40's as well most days. Spring is at hand. Last weekend the robins were moving through in numbers bobbing about the field across from my house. I get giddy this time of year. There is so much to see and experience almost on a daily basis as spring sweeps in. Oh we could get set back a few days with a snow storm. Concord averages a foot of snow for March. But all this bare ground is just soaking up the sunshine quickly warming the earth. The sun has won the battle over old man winter once again.
I did get out for a hike yesterday afternoon. Even the woods were free of snow for the most part. I did break out into a nice sunny south facing slope to enjoy the wonders of bare warm earth again. I stopped and built what I call a tea kettle fire. Just a wee one to roast a couple of hot dogs and enjoy the fragrance of earth and fire all stirred together in a gentle breeze. Oh how I love these wonderfully warm spring days. Life literally springs from the ground, air and water. Life is good!
