Even by New England standards, the winter of 2022-2023 felt increasingly mild compared to previous years. After years defined by the sound of plows scraping pavement while snowblowers toss white fluff into yards across the region, December, January and February threw meek punches at the Greater Boston area. One weekend dipped temperatures into a record-breaking deep freeze, but the days that followed the breath-stealing blasts of wind steadily increased until conditions felt like an early-arriving spring.
The steady march towards days splashed with bright sunshine and 50 degree normals is still weeks away, but the unseasonable delight served up reminders of the oncoming rush of time spent outside in the increasing sunlight.