A locust tree in bloom in Wilson County
One of the fun things about Tennessee weather is our different names for spring cold snaps. They go by what is blooming at the time. I may not name them all correctly, but here’s what I remember:
1) “Redbud Winter”
2) “Dogwood Winter”
3) “Locust Winter”
4) “Blackberry Winter”
and Lisa Patton’s Mom tells us there’s one more:
5) “Cotton Britches Winter”
This year, we may be having two Locust Winters…
Last weekend’s cold snap (April 23-24) was called “Locust Winter” by some since the locust trees were beginning to bloom along with the dogwoods. So what do we call this weekend’s cold snap? As far as I know, the blackberries aren’t blooming yet, so it’s not “Blackberry Winter”. I guess it’s a continuation of Locust Winter, or a second one. The good thing is, there are no rules, and there is no official source. It’s all good ol’ Tennessee fun! You won’t find it in the encyclopedia!
And guess what? I just aired this on our 10pm news, and a lady called and said it is “Snowball Winter”. I’d never heard of that one! She says snowball bushes are blooming with white “snowball looking” blooms right now.
Good site!