Ah....the crocus: it must be spring!

Or is it?

"That's the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on the ball."
~Bill Veeck

Spring officially arrives today.

In some parts of the country, it's felt like spring for a while already. The crack of the bat is music to baseball faithful. Elsewhere, crocuses have popped out of the ground. The grass is awakening from dormancy.

Here in the northern Rockies, though, the first day of spring has a different look: mid- to late-March in many ways appears much the same as February. The slopes at both Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole are busy with skiers. In the space of five days between late last week and this past Tuesday, Targhee picked up 40+ inches of snow with more expected. Even at elevations below 6500 feet, the ground is white, courtesy of a storm a few days ago. Snow is falling all the way down into the Snake River Plain again today.

Spring? Mother Nature chuckles. Not quite!

Still, winter is loosening its grip.

If you know where to look, the signs are there. Bears are beginning to come out of hibernation. Yellowstone confirmed the first sighting of grizzly tracks last week in the northern part of the park. (Males emerge first; females, especially those with cubs, will wait for more snow to begin melting.)

Bull elk are beginning to shed their antlers.

Once or twice I've heard birds warming up their singing voices in the early morning darkness outside my house.

In Grand Teton National Park, the inner loop road is no longer being groomed (as of last week). Yellowstone closed its roads to oversnow travel on the 16th and has begun plowing in preparation for reopening to vehicle traffic.

Precipitation at lower elevations is - more often than not - changing over from snow to rain.

Admittedly, there is no spring baseball to be found around here, and I challenge you to find crocus blooming. (Truthfully, I've never even seen crocus in this area. They may be tough, but perhaps not enough for this climate.) Green season is quite a way off. Signs that change is coming are more subtle, but eventually spring will arrive - and it will be glorious.

In the meantime, "springtime winter" is something to be enjoyed.

If you want to photograph Grand Teton Park blanketed with snow, late March is a great time during which to do it. It still looks like winter but it's easier to get around. Driving is less treacherous. Overnight temperatures are much less likely to dive into single digits - and if they do, it generally doesn't last.

I'm on my way over to the park today. Maybe I'll see you there.

In Local News

Wildlife
Grizzly 399's cub has not been seen since his mama was killed last October. We're all hoping he made it safely to his den for the winter. The park service was optimistic about his chances; I was far less confident. He and 399 were a long, long way from their home base near Pilgrim Creek on that night. Having been traumatized, witnessing her death and fearing for his own life - and then needing to find his way back (roughly 60 miles) on his own seemed like a big ask for the youngster. I hope I'm wrong.

Teton Pass Status
WYDOT has set a new completion date for the rebuilding of Teton Pass: July 31. You'll recall that a section of the road was lost to a landslide last June.

Water Resources
Eastern Idaho and Western Wyoming look to be in good shape heading into the growing season, with snow water equivalent at 100%-plus for most high-elevation areas.