"It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be gray..." (4/18 Weather Thread)

[ArgentCy]

I don't know if anyone has an answer on this board, but something really strange happened to my wife and I on Sunday. We were driving from Altoona to Iowa City (my daughter plays soccer and they were scrimmaging the hoks). It was cold and snowy in the early afternoon, and we were driving on the back roads between Altoona and Colfax. There were literally hundreds of birds (mostly robins) that were sitting along the edges of the road. As we would drive by, they would fly/scatter and were not too effective at avoiding cars. We probably hit 4 of them in a 20 mile stretch and there were others laying dead in the road or beside the road. Really bizarre. Weather related?

Yep I noted the same thing around here when just driving to work. It looked weird because we had about 3" of snow but it all melted off the roads. Looked like someone had heated all of the roads So I think the birds were just in the grass near the road looking for food. I was only driving ~50 mph so I didn't hit.

 

[VeloClone]

I don't know if anyone has an answer on this board, but something really strange happened to my wife and I on Sunday. We were driving from Altoona to Iowa City (my daughter plays soccer and they were scrimmaging the hoks). It was cold and snowy in the early afternoon, and we were driving on the back roads between Altoona and Colfax. There were literally hundreds of birds (mostly robins) that were sitting along the edges of the road. As we would drive by, they would fly/scatter and were not too effective at avoiding cars. We probably hit 4 of them in a 20 mile stretch and there were others laying dead in the road or beside the road. Really bizarre. Weather related?

We saw something strange with robins in the church parking lot on Sunday. In one of the tiny little parking lot island trees (crown of the tree smaller than 10' across) there were over 20 robins. I have never seen robins congregate like that in large groups in such close proximity.

 

[ca4cy]

Somebody help me out with soil temperatures above freezing but below fifty. Is the concern that with it not that warm that the seed will simply rot if it is wet and not warm enough (above 50) to germinate?

Yes, that's the biggest factor. Although, seed has become so much more hardy than it was in years past that it will wait a lot longer than it used to to germinate. I think that's the reason that some people are more comfortable planting in less than ideal conditions.

 

[VeloClone]

I remember an old adage when I was a kid that snow was the poor man's fertilizer. If you managed to get a crop in before a late snow you could expect a good yield.

I imagine it would be a combination of factors the first of which is that if your crop got snowed on you got it in plenty early and second if it got snowed on you had a good measured source of water for the first several days as the snow melted on the field kick starting germination.

 

[Al_4_State]

I remember an old adage when I was a kid that snow was the poor man's fertilizer. If you managed to get a crop in before a late snow you could expect a good yield.

I imagine it would be a combination of factors the first of which is that if your crop got snowed on you got it in plenty early and second if it got snowed on you had a good measured source of water for the first several days as the snow melted on the field kick starting germination.

There's a decent amount of nitrogen in snow, so there's some truth to that.

 

[CycloneBob]

Also saw it’s the 2nd coldest April on record. 1st was in 1881.

It's your imagination - just as Al Gore - the earth is warming !

 

[VeloClone]

There's a decent amount of nitrogen in snow, so there's some truth to that.

At first I thought you were pulling my chain, but I learned it is true. Snow descends through the atmosphere slowly and picks up nitrogen from the atmosphere as it falls. It melts slowly and seeps in rather than mostly running off like rain is likely to so the nitrogen has an opportunity to remain in the soil.

 

[Dr.bannedman]

Yes, that's the biggest factor. Although, seed has become so much more hardy than it was in years past that it will wait a lot longer than it used to to germinate. I think that's the reason that some people are more comfortable planting in less than ideal conditions.

just crack up the planting rate a scosche

 

[BigJCy]

Ugh:

 

[kingcy]

We've seen that too.

Problem is you can't plant it all in that perfect window.

Yes I know. My point was no need to give up on it yet, it is still early.

 

[BCClone]

Ugh:

Getting better. No more 8-12 for any part of me.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

Ugh:

Woooooooooooooooooo!!

 

[RING4CY]

I'm a guy who prefers winter weather over summer weather, but I'm even thinking this is some Mickey Mouse ********.

 

[Bret44]

Ugh:

**** the National Weather Service

 

[3TrueFans]

**** the National Weather Service

YOU BROUGHT THIS ON, BRET! I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS.

 

[Bret44]

YOU BROUGHT THIS ON, BRET! I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS.

 

[cowboycurtis]

I usually try and play a couple rounds of golf before we get crazy busy in the field but we can’t even do that. I guess I’ll go to clubhouse and drink. That’s why I play golf anyway.

 

[CloneLawman]

"... and it's going to last you for the rest of your life."

I prefer a different quote from that movie though! And I like to think that he could have been talking about the campus of Iowa State University, but Punxsutawney is nice too, I suppose.

"When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter."

In the Kingdom of Hope, there is no winter.

 

[Iastfan112]

If its any consolation this is probably the last gasp of winter. Models show much more seasonable weather past this weekend.

 

[nfrine]

Never, never date a gal named April. She will disappoint you.