What’s Dangerous About an Early Spring

Last week, the United States was convulsed by some extremely unusual weather.

Temperatures across the eastern half of continent shot up. Boston and Buffalo both climbed above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, their hottest February temperatures ever measured. Washington, D.C., posted a string of summery days and will likely tally its warmest February ever. Cincinnati came close to breaking 80.

This capped off a weird winter. For the first time since modern record-keeping began in 1871, Chicago made it through January and February without any snow on the ground. Hot, dry air from the Mexican plateau handed a 94-degree day to Oklahoma City and an 80-degree day to Denver. And while the West experienced more typical coolness, historic amounts of rain and snow ensnarled California. Ski resorts in the Sierra Nevadas measured more than 500 inches of snow, breaking half-century-old records.