Could spring be near?

This has been a tough winter. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls reports that this region hasn’t been above 40 degrees since Dec. 1, and the 20 inches of snow depth measured Jan. 7-8 in Sioux Falls was the fifth deepest ever recorded in that city. Much of that snow is still with us.

But as I look out my window today, the sun is shining. The forecast where I live in South Dakota includes a high of 31 degrees which, given the kind of winter we’ve had, is going to feel like 71.

I can’t think of a better way to start the month of March. For many South Dakotans, March is the unofficial beginning of spring. We realize spring won’t officially start until March 20, and we also realize we could suffer through winter-like conditions well into April. But we’re so desperate for spring to begin, our mind tricks us into thinking that the flipping of the calendar over to March signals spring’s arrival.

And then we walk outside on a day like today and, despite a temperature of only 31 and the presence of a couple of feet of snow that’s been on the ground since December, we feel the sun on our face and sense the approach of warmer weather and sigh contentedly as we say, "Ah, spring."

After the kind of winter we’ve had, we need to believe that spring is imminent in order to avoid going crazy. So I’m celebrating today, March 1, as the first day of spring. And I won’t listen to anybody who tries to tell me otherwise.

After all, if it’s going to be 31 degrees today, it won’t be long till we hit 40. It’s time to get those shorts and flip-flops ready.