🥵 Winter ain’t what it used to be

It’s Monday, Boston.

☀️ Say ta-ta to your winter coat. Temps are expected to hit the high 50s — and even 60s — this week in Boston, and according to some models, it’s full spring ahead. 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• The MBTA’s March madness

• North End restaurant tea

• Brookline’s feathered foes

Up first…

WEATHER

Winter? I hardly knew her.

Meteorological winter is waving goodbye this week. But TBH, it feels like she was barely here. Barring an act of God, this will be the first February on record that Boston hasn’t had a subfreezing day. And unless a big storm hits, it’ll also be the first time Boston has had consecutive winters with less than 20 inches of snow. 

So is winter as we know it also waving goodbye? Yes and no. 

Here’s what to know:

🌡️ There’s no question that New England winters are heating up. Really, everywhere is heating up. 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the 10 warmest years on record happening in the last decade. But winter in particular is the fastest warming season in New England, with average temps warming by a little more than three degrees since the 1970s (that’s about 15 more warmer-than-normal winter days each year). 

❄️ Ironically, warmer temps can create the opportunity for bigger storms. Because there’s more moisture in the atmosphere thanks to warming oceans we’re “seeing a large increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events in all seasons,” said Dr. Jennifer Francis, senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth. Throw a cold arctic blast into the mix, and we'll still see blizzards and heavy snows along with stronger winds. Plus, the snow we do get has the potential to come in big dumps versus being spread out.

⛄ And while recent snowfall has been sparse, that trend isn’t a guarantee. Meteorologist Dave Epstein notes that we seem to go through 10-ish year cycles of boom and bust snowfalls, with the most recent boom happening during the mid-2010s (see: Snowmageddon). Since that cycle, we’ve seen less snow than average. But if you zoom out and look at the past 30 years, you’ll see that Boston’s seen an average of 49-ish inches. Epstein predicts we’ll likely return to a decade of snowy weather (even if it doesn’t stick that long).

⛷️ Booms and busts aside, local businesses that rely on snow are staying prepared. While Wachusett Mountain in Westminster is up and running this ski season, spokesman Chris Stimpson admits it was a slow start. “We want a full night of below 27 degrees” to start snowmaking, he said. But they’ve recently had to adapt to only having a four to five hour window. Which also means investing in more high efficiency snow guns.

📱 But perhaps their most challenging issue? Marketing. “When we get a big snowstorm, we have a huge rush the next weekend,” Stimpson said. But “the thing we notice is people don’t think about skiing if they don’t have snow in their backyard.” 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🌬️ Offshore wind production is blowing us away. Vineyard Wind, an aptly named offshore wind farm near Martha’s Vineyard, is now producing enough energy to power 30,000 Mass. homes with only five of its eventual 62 wind turbines, which are ultimately expected to power over 400,000 homes. It’s a good sign for things to come in Mass. offshore wind production, especially considering state officials’ high investment in the industry. However, it’s currently unclear when the rest of the turbines will be in business. 

🚃 The MBTA’s March madness is almost here. But instead of brackets, you get to play with shuttle buses. We’ve all heard about the current Green Line shutdown, but did you know the Red and Orange Lines and several commuter rail lines are also seeing mini shutdowns in March? Red Liners: Expect weekend shutdowns. Orange Liners, think: One weekend and one four-day shutdown. And commuter rail riders: Your changes run the gamut — from evening service changes to full-on daylong shutdowns. You can find all the details here.

🗳️ Voting in Boston could get a makeover. Ranked Choice Boston, a new coalition, is attempting to introduce ranked-choice style voting to Boston, a style of election that allows voters to rank their choices rather than voting for just one candidate. In 2020, voters rejected a statewide ballot measure that introduced the idea, but over 60% of Bostonians voted in favor of it. The coalition would still need major political support in order to change our voting system, first from Mayor Michelle Wu, and eventually, the state legislature.

☕ The North End restaurant tea is piping. The North End became the backdrop for a viral dispute this weekend when a long, angry DM exchange popped off on X between a customer and Jen Royle, a celebrated Boston restaurateur. Royle reached out to personally express her disappointment that a customer disputed her restaurant’s $250 cancellation fee through their credit card company after they were apparently unexpectedly hospitalized — and canceled three hours beforehand. The exchange that followed is truly wild, and we have all the receipts.

QUICK QUESTION

☕ Read up on the drama and tell us: Who’s in the right?

THINGS TO DO

Weekday checklist

🍻 Have a very hoppy Leap Day. Lamplighter Brewing Co. is taking the opportunity to celebrate our crazy calendar with their Hoppy Leap Day IPA Tasting event on Thursday. Because why not?

🚲 Spin in da club. Everybody’s gonna be spinning at La Fabrica in Cambridge on Sunday. Grab your tickets to Rev’d x La Fabrica’s live DJ spin class before they sell out!

✨ Try speed dating with ambience. Have you always wanted a meet-cute at the bookstore? Join Skip the Small Talk at Beacon Hill Books on Thursday for their speed dating event.

🕯️ See Taylor Swift in a new (candle)light. We’re looking at a sick lineup of Candlelight concerts featuring music performed by a string ensemble. The Taylor Swift show is selling out fast, so grab your tickets for March 7!

🧶 Get into the knitty gritty. This week, Homebody DIY is teaching us how to work with yarn. Tuesday is their beginner weaving workshop and Wednesday is their learn to knit workshop.

— Written by Claire Nicholas

🎉 Want more things to do recommendations? Refer five friends to unlock two bonus items. For those who already have, enjoy below.

ONE LAST THING

No harm, all fowl

If you’ve ever walked the streets of Brookline in the spring, it’s likely that you’ve come across a turkey … or 12. 

When spring rolls around, the birds are a dime a dozen around the town’s more secluded streets, and their presence has become infamous — or just famous, depending on who you ask. Regardless, they are iconic, and Brookline is fixing to cement their impact on the town with a new public art installation: Fiberglass, life sized turkeys installed and created with help from local artists. 

The first round of turkey art will be popping up this spring, along with their very real living counterparts, whose breeding (attack) season peaks in late March.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🦃 Thanks for reading! You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a UPS worker being fully chased by a turkey on a city sidewalk at 7 a.m. 

🚇 The results are in: Looks like we’re heading to the Red Line! Most B-Siders voted for us to take it as our next food crawl adventure, but, as one reader pointed out, with an important caveat: “but only if the train works.”

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].