SALEM, MA – February 4 -- Notice anything different about this winter? Anything at all?
Temperatures in the upper 50s and virtually no snowfall are, of course, hard to miss, especially now that it's already the first week of February.
Salem had just 13.8 inches of snow in January, compared to 65.7 inches last year at this time. And the average temperature last month was about 32 degrees — 7 degrees warmer than last year, according to Salem meteorologist Arthur Francis. Historically, January temperatures are in the mid-20s.
In a normal winter, we would have had about 24 inches of snow by now, according to the National Weather Service.
The unusual winter has to do with fluctuations in the jet stream.
"There haven't been too many deep troughs, so you don't get that cold air coming down," Francis said.
The warm weather has affected life here on the North Shore in a lot of different ways. Maple sugar makers have already begun tapping trees. Golfers — yes, golfers — have enjoyed an extra three months of tee times, thanks to several courses remaining open.
"On the warm days, with highs in the 50s, we probably get 50 to 60 people on the course," said Michael Flynn, owner of the Lakeview Golf Course in Wenham, which is open year-round, weather permitting. He said he doesn't remember a year like this one. There have been at least a half-dozen golfers on the course every day this winter.
"The bills keep coming in whether we're open or not," he said, "so we might as well stay open."
In general, there have been way more people out and about on any given day, in parks, on the beach, strolling through downtowns.
"We pull all of the trash barrels from the parks each winter, because they get covered with snow and they're almost impossible to get to," said Doug Bollen, Salem's parks and recreation director. "Everybody has been calling and asking us to put the barrels back because people are using the parks and walking their dogs."
All those people walking around has been good for business in downtown Salem, said Rinus Oosthoek, executive director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce.
"Any business that depends on walking traffic is enjoying this winter very much. On weekends in Salem, you see a lot of people walking around, which is good for retail and for restaurants," Oosthoek said. "It's a positive for the whole downtown."
One drawback has been the loss of the ice skating rink on Salem Common, which Bollen said isn't likely to happen this year because of the warm weather. The annual snowshoe race became more of a trail run, and the winter wonderland festivities at the golf course are in jeopardy, he said.
Winter-dependent businesses, like snow removal services, are taking a hit. Plowers had work for a couple of freak storms in October and one week in January, but other than that it's been nada.
"We're mostly sanding, but there hasn't been a whole lot of plowing," said William Megrath, the owner of Wam General Contractors in Beverly, which does a lot of excavation work in addition to snow removal. Last winter, with multiple back-to-back storms, business was booming, but this year Wam has had to lay off some employees for the season. Despite the setback, Megrath is taking it in stride.
"We prepare for the worst (no snow), and if it does snow, that's extra money for us, great," Megrath said. "When there's not snow, we do a lot of maintenance and get our fleet up to snuff. It's also good for us physically because we're not out all hours of the week. Personally, I'm sick and twisted — I like plowing."
Retailers who sell shovels and snow blowers aren't hurting too badly, according to Richard Maestranzi, the owner of Maestranzi Bros. outdoor power equipment.
"We were really busy right up until Christmas; we sold a lot of snow blowers, mostly on account of last year," he said. "Since then, we've only been selling them sporadically. ... Historically sales dry up this time of year anyway, unless the snow really starts picking up."
The company also did a lot of snow blower repairs early in the season, since so many were beaten up after the unrelenting snowfall last year, he said.
One beneficiary of the mild weather has been municipal budgets. Cities and towns have doled out much less overtime to city employees and private contractors to get rid of the snow and have also saved money on sand and salt.
Peabody spent more than $1.5 million last year on snow removal, sand and salt, which was about $840,000 over budget. The past four years, the city has spent an average of about $1.1 million each winter on snow and ice removal. This year, the city has spent just $226,000, according to the most recent figures provided by the city finance department.
"It's definitely a much lighter year than previous years, and we're thankful for that," said Robert Langley, director of Peabody's Department of Public Services. "I'm cautiously optimistic for the rest of the winter, but we're really always prepared for the worst. ... There are years when the snow has come in April."
While nobody can predict the future, it seems a safe bet that we'll be free from any significant snow threat in the near term.
"It's going to be cooler, but there are no storms on the outlook for at least the next week or so," Francis said.
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