Wow could the end of the season be so near?

[red dorakeen]

This is my first year and being anxious I put out 9 taps January 25th. The 10 day forecast looked good and lo and behold its been good ever since. Now it looks like next week we’ll have highs in the upper 60°s and lows in the 40°s for at least 4 days. Will that likely be the end of maple season?

Seems early, but i think trees will start to bud with that sort of weather even though we’re bound to get some cold snaps. (this could be a very difficult spring for fruit trees.)

[chuckwagon]

My first year also,(learned so much from the people here,thanks again)not sure when season Will end but I'll keep going to the end,the syrup taste way to good to stop now,I think I'm hooked,already thinking of building a bigger and better cooker for next year.

[Klonce]

I hope it keeps going, the week ahead looks like it's going to be warm. Wish it wouldn't stop this is my second year. I hope I can product at least a few more bottles. Thanks Kevin

[DoubleBrookMaple]

This is my fourth year. My first three years I did not tap until mid-late March. This year I tapped late January (30th). I have a PWS (Personal Weather Station) http://www.wunderground.com/personal...READS2#historyand can pull up statistics for a number of things.
The NWS Climate Prediction Center since last fall has predicted a warm winter, and expects this to continue right through the summer. My January average temperature this year was 7 degrees over the same period last year. We had the coldest February on record here last year, and my February average this year was 15 degrees warmer than last year. In mid March I had 3-4 ft of snow on the ground. This year I will probably have none. The trend continues..... My 10 day forecasts all show days 5-10 all over freezing. The less reliable 8-14 day forecasts also have lows mostly WELL ABOVE freezing.
Bottom line from someone who's hobby besides sugaring is weather watching.... I would not bet a thing on very much past next mid week when it warms up again.
I truly hope I am wrong, and etching my thoughts in stone here will make me wrong. I would like to use my freshly made RO a lot this year!

Here is my PWS Highs. Lows, and Averages the last two years for Jan & Feb..
January 2, 2015 - February 1, 2015
HIGH /40.6 °F LOW/ -14.9 °F AVERAGE/ 16 °F
January 30, 2015 - March 1, 2015
HIGH/ 34.5 °F LOW/ -15 °F AVERAGE/ 10.7 °F
January 2, 2016 - February 1, 2016
HIGH/ 48.5 °F LOW/ -2.1 °F AVERAGE/ 23 °F
January 31, 2016 - March 1, 2016
HIGH/ 51.6 °F LOW/ -21.6 °F AVERAGE/ 25.9 °F

BTW.... 2012 was a very bad year. This is the numbers from my station that year... Average just 1.4 degrees over this year!
February 1, 2012 - March 2, 2012
HIGH/ 48.6 °F LOW/ 2.3 °F AVERAGE/ 27.3 °F

[saphound]

Thanks for that info, Eric. This is my second year so I don't know what to think. Last year seems like it was late, this year early. The weather here doesn't seem to know what normal is anymore. I haven't had to plow my driveway once yet this year...first time in 30 years. Not complaining too much about that, but it ain't right. Something tells me we'll still get snow in March, but I said that about February...

[red dorakeen]

Interesting weather data Eric.

I've always been an avid gardener so weather observation has been important to me as well.

Perhaps another 4 or 5 days of maple season and then switch to gardening and golf.

[40to1]

I'm going to have to pull taps on Monday.
It's been a two week season. This is crazy. I got drowned in the Sap Tsunami, but when it's so warm the sap can go putrid fast. How the trees haven't gone to bud is beyond me. Perhaps they think it's still late November... but no freezing nighttime temps after Monday (sigh....)
With weather this warm I shouldn't be sugaring, but starting the garden!

I'm looking forward to next year: so that I can try to forget about the last two seasons.

[pyro]

I'm planning on boiling down Tuesday, and then dumping the next couple days worth since it will be high 60s. We'll see what happens from there.

[saphound]

Pyro, why would you plan to dump sap before you know what it would taste like? It might still be ok fresh from the tree, it just won't keep long. That is if the trees give any...

[SDdave]

Reading all this doom and gloom makes me shake my head. Just last season I had the same forecasts, same conditions, a 10 day season. Trees even budded. Getting frustrated I pulled the taps, cleaned everything up, and stored it all neatly back in the garage. Then whoa and behold the 11th day brought seasonal temps. Buds froze off, sap poured out of the trees, and poor me left with a gallon of syrup that I hoarded to myself.

Just remember the weatherman is the only profession where you can be wrong most of the time and still keep your job.

SDdave