Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - After a couple weeks of rainy, chilly weather, some gardeners are wondering when spring is going to show up so they can start planting their favorite flowers. One meteorologist tells WBEN the corner may be turning weather-wise.
Meteorologist Andy Parker says on Wednesday, temperatures will take a nosedive.
"We're going to spend a day in the 40s. And it would not be surprising to see some of the snowflakes mixed in just like what happened over the weekend," Parker forecasted with WBEN.
However, he says the corner may be turning come this coming weekend.
"As early as Friday, it'll feel nicer. Temperatures will jump back above the 60-degree mark, and it should be sunshine there. As we enter the weekend, temperatures go further into the 60s, maybe even flirting with 70 in spots," Parker detailed.
Gardening expert Jackie Albarella says this spring isn't too much different than last year.
"We always get that one warm week or we get a week-and-a-half of warm weather, and we think, 'Alright, spring is finally here,'" said Albarella in an interview with WBEN.
She says everybody starts to go out and clean out their beds, then we we get hit with this colder couple of weeks of weather.
When it comes to the start of planting, Albarella says it's important the ground is dry enough.
"If you're planting or even walking around in wet, mucky muddy beds, you're going to end up compacting those beds, and you're gonna have problems with it for the rest of the summer," warned Albarella.
She adds if the space you want to plant is dry, the next thing you have to make sure of is the plants that you purchase that you want to put in the ground has been hardened off.
"That means you can't go the greenhouse and buy these plants that are still in the greenhouse and bring them home and plant them because they won't make it. You've got to gradually put them outside during the daytime, bring them back in in a sheltered area at night and do that for four or five days to get them accustomed to the outside," Albarella advised.
She says for annuals and vegetable plants, you really have to wait until the huge fluctuations in weather come to an end.
According to Albarella, Mother's Day is the time when the growing season starts in earnest throughout Wester New York.
"Mother's Day used to be the day that the greenhouses opened. Even now, the greenhouses open a little bit before Mother's Day, but even the greenhouses are not getting their plants together till May," she said.
Spring has peaks and valleys in Western New York, but Parker says to expect the temperatures to settle back down to about average, which will be between 55 and 65 degrees going into early next week.