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Viewpoint John Kmitta Where Was Winter? I t's March? Really? What happened to winter? What happened to extended pe- riods of teeth-chattering temperatures? What happened to snowdrifts higher than the backyard fence? Believe me, I'm not complaining — I just can't be- lieve that spring is coming and I didn't have to deal with the brutal Chicago weather to which I have been subjected every winter of my life. Mild sunny days in December, January and February used to be just the stuff of daydreams. But I'm not imagining things. According to local reports, only six Chicago win- ters on record have seen less snowfall, the combined average temperature for De- cember through February was the fourth warmest on record, and Chicago had zero days this winter where the temperature fell below zero degrees Fahrenheit (some- thing that has happened only three other times). And Chicago was not alone this winter. Cities nationwide saw above-average temperatures and below-average snowfall. According to the National Snow & Ice Data Center, the warmer-than-average temperatures and unusually low snowfall totals in the U.S. are due to a phenomenon called the Arctic Oscillation (AO). The AO, which ranges between two distinct modes, describes how pressure patterns are distributed over the Arctic region and the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. When pressure is higher than normal over the Arctic and lower than normal over middle latitudes, the AO is in its negative mode. When it is positive, air pressure is lower than normal over the Arctic and higher than normal over middle latitudes. When the AO is in its positive phase, the jet stream tends to shift to the north, meaning that winter storms also shift north, leaving most of the U.S. warmer and drier than average. So what does it all mean for our industry? For those of you in northern climates, the warm weather probably put a damper on business if you provide snow removal services during the winter months — so that's definitely a negative. On the positive side, warmer weather is already leading to an earlier construction season in the U.S., and an early spring could lead to more residential and commercial business earlier in the season. Weather predictions for this spring/summer are still a bit sketchy. Several reports indicate that La Niña could lead to dry weather in the southern states with cooler conditions in the Northwest. However, according to the World Agricultural Outlook Board, if the AO weather patterns persist, expect a warm summer across the north- ern states and a cooler-than-average summer in the southern Plains states and South- east, as well as unexpectedly wet conditions in the South-central and Great Lakes regions and dry conditions in the Southeast and much of the West. Also, warm con- ditions may shift farther north and west than expected. The National Weather Serv- ice and AccuWeather are both predicting an above-average number of severe storms, although AccuWeather predicts fewer tornadoes in 2012 than was experienced in 2011. There are obviously a lot of variables at play, but, for now, I'm just glad it's March and I made it through winter without my eyelids freezing shut. LI IRRIGAT ON M2MEDIA360 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone: (847) 720-5600 • Fax: (847) 720-5601 Web site: http://www.landscapeirrigation.com Executive Vice President Charles Forman Editorial Staff Editor John Kmitta (847) 720-5613; fax (847) 720-5601; jkmitta@m2media360.com Products Editor Steve Noe (630) 499-1017; fax (630) 499-1026; snoe@m2media360.com Editorial Direction Richard Brandes Production Team Art Director Production Manager Brian Snook Karen Kalinyak Direct Mail List Sales Cheryl Naughton, (678) 292-6054; e-mail cnaughton@m2media360.com Reprint Service Cheryl Naughton, (678) 292-6054; e-mail cnaughton@m2media360.com M2MEDIA360 President/CEO Vice President, Finance and Operations Vice President, Circulation and Collateral Services Production Director Marion Minor Gerald Winkel Joanne Juda-Prainito Mary Jo Tomei Circulation For subscription inquiries and customer service questions, please call (845) 856-2229, or fax (845) 856-5822 business hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. EST Landscape and Irrigation is published monthly except May/June, July/Aug and Nov/Dec. Publisher's Notice: We assume no responsibility for the validity of advertising claims in connection with items appearing in Landscape and Irrigation. Reader Service Numbers are given to facilitate further inquiry. Commercial product names are used for the convenience of the reader. Mention of a commercial product does not imply endorse- ment by Landscape and Irrigation or M2MEDIA360, or preference over similar products not mentioned. 1030 W. Higgins Road, Suite 230, Park Ridge, IL 60068 Phone: (847) 720-5600 • Fax: (847) 720-5601 Account Representatives: Bruce Loria 626 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 500,Los Angeles, CA 90017 Ph: 213-596-7226 • bloria@m2media360.com Leslie Palmer 16267 W. 14 Mile Rd., Ste 202, Beverly Hills, MI 48025 Ph: 248-530-0300, ext. 1401 • lpalmer@m2media360.com Classified Sales / Marketplace: Glenn Datz Phone: 213-596-7220 Fax: 213-624-0997 gdatz@m2media360.com 6 Landscape and Irrigation March 2012 www.landscapeirrigation.com