A year ago I determined that I would keep a Weather Review for the year. The purpose of the Weather Review was an aide memoire because I can never remember whether last summer was droughty – or was it the year before.  I  wasn’t able to stick to a strict schedule of photography, but here we go for a quick run through the year.  January 2014 was a month of extremes with  early morning temperatures that ranged from -10 on January 4, to 38 on January 14.

February was cold with lots of snow. Snow on February 5, 8, 13, 14, 15,  snow showers until February 20 when we got a wet snow fall.  Just cold!

March was cold, single digit temperatures until March 8 dawned sunny and warm 40 degrees! Perfect for Heath’s first Cellar and Cave Tour. March 12 temperatures rose to 50 degrees with rain!   But then plunged to single digits again.  We finished the month with warmer temperatures and RAIN.

April brought freezing temperatures, and rain, but also warmth and sun.  Temperatures up from 38 to 52 and 70 degrees. However Easter dawned  cloudy and 32 degrees, but got as high  as 56.  Planted pansies.

At least April snow doesn’t last long.

You can’t see the bloom from this distance, but bloom there is. Forsythia, daffodils, epimediums. And after a heavy rain, 2 inches, the night before the Bridge of Flowers Plant Sale on May 16 went off without a hitch in the sun.  Many days with temperatures in the 50s. Frost occasionally threatened but the lowest recorded temperature was 40 degrees on May 29.

Almost time for the Annual Rose Viewing. There is color in the garden, but no roses yet. The month began hot with temperatures in the 70s and 80s. Mostly moderate temperatures in the 70s during  the rest of the month. Perfect weather for the Annual Rose Viewing on June 29

July begins with a heat wave. Temperatures in the 80s. Torrential rains on the Fourth of July. All festivities cancelled. The last three days of the month were the coolest  with temperature at 58 degrees each morning at 7.  The highest temperature in the 90s on July 23. Thunderstorms.  Look here and see how happy  the flowers were.

After a hot July, August was comparatively cool. Many temperatures below 60 early in the morning. The first day of the Heath Fair temperatures barely got over 60.  I recorded 80 degrees on August 26, the hottest for the month, but we did spend 4 days in Vermont. Maybe we missed the hot weather.  Lots of flowers in August, as you can see.

No recorded temperature for September 21, but it was cold  and I was sick and spent the day by the woodstove.  As in June many early morning temperatures were around 60 degrees.  Torrents of rain on September 6, over 2 inches. September was a month of pleasures, visits to friends, a granddaughter’s wedding and the beginning of autumn color.

Our first hard frost! Moderate morning temperatures mostly in the 60s until October 20  gave us 30 degrees. The coldest morning of the month. It is time to start thinking about the end of the garden but in mid-month there is still a lot to enjoy.

The First Snow.  At least a snow like this, a couple of inches in October, doesn’t last too long.

On November 28th, the day after Thanksgiving, we left the family throng to race home because our neighbor’s Facebook page announced 17 inches of snow and 31 powerless hours.  Fortunately, the long power outage was oddly scattered and did not hit our house.  Our pipes were not frozen.  Beautiful, isn’t it?

Snow is pretty, but sleet, freezing rain and ice are not.  Still morning temperatures are often around 30 degrees.  The coldest day recorded was 15 degrees on December 30.

Christmas Day in the morning! And so ends my Weather Review for 2014.  When I think back to our second December in Heath when the temperatures dipped below -25 every night for a month, I have no  complaints.