Return to Area Profiles Table of Contents 

The trees look bare and the ground white during Snow/Ski Season on Acorn Hill Farm.

It's easy to get stuck in the muddy ruts during Mud/Black Fly Season.

The cattle and grass grow on Acorn Hill Farm during the Growing Season.

During the Foliage Season, people come great distances to New England to see colorful trees such as those along the driveway at Acorn Hill Farm.

Seasons
Researched and Written by Janine Weins
(Posted 1/10/07)

Seasons in New England are defined more by weather than the movement of the earth. During our ski/snow season, the days are the shortest and the temperature is usually below freezing at night, and near or below freezing during the day. Mud/black fly season is the time of year when the ground that has frozen during ski/snow season begins to thaw because day-time temperatures are generally above freezing while at night the temperature drops to near freezing. During the growing season, the days are longest and the temperatures are usually above freezing. Foliage season is when the days grow shorter and the temperatures at night are near or below freezing.

New England seasons vary from year to year, in part because the temperatures are so variable. In Lebanon, NH, the record high temperature for 12 days in January was 60°F or greater, and on 25 days in June the record low temperature was 38°F or lower.

The low temperatures during the ski/snow season are the result of short days and the low angle of the sun, but just how low the temperatures get is determined by the air masses that flow across the region. In Lebanon, significant snowfalls have been recorded every month from October into May, and the ski season can last from November through April. Most years the ski season starts in December and lasts into March. According to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Service, the ski industry employs 17,000 people and contributes 420.7 million dollars to the New Hampshire economy. This year, because of unusually warm temperatures in December and early January, the ski season will be shorter and its contribution to the economy less.

Mud/back fly season comes when the temperatures start to warm enough to thaw the frozen ground. This year, because of several protracted periods of unusually warm temperatures we have already had three short mud seasons. For several days in the middle of December, the third week in December, and the first week in January the low temperature at the weather station on Acorn Hill Farm did not get below freezing.

New Hampshire is home to 40 different species of black flies. Some black flies hatch when the water temperature reaches about 40° to 50°F from eggs that have been submerged in streams over the winter. Other species overwinters in the larval stage. Regardless of whether they winter as eggs or larvae, when the snow melts and the streams warm they become food for the fish and one of New England's most infamous pests.

The growing season starts when the ground is dry enough for planting and the days warm enough for plants to grow. In 2006, spring rains and cool temperatures extended mud season and delayed the start of the growing season. At Acorn Hill Farm, we had more than six inches of rain and 13 rainy days in May, 2006. The growing season ends with a hard frost. In 2006, we did not have a hard frost until October 7th.

In New England, the seasons are a part of our lifestyle and our livelihood. Like those who lived before us, New Englanders continue to bet on the weather. We bet when we buy a ski pass, make a contract for heating fuel, put up another cord of wood, order seeds for the garden, or pick a date for the family picnic. Only time will tell if we made a winning bet and the sun will shine on the family picnic.