Meteorologist Dave Epstein is our go-to person for pressing weather questions on everything from winter blizzards to summer droughts. He’s also a horticulturist, meaning he’s an expert in anything that grows leaves and flowers. We at GBH's Morning Edition asked you, our audience, for your weather and gardening questions, and Dave graciously answered them on the air. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Have a gardening or weather question for meteorologist Dave Epstein? Tweet him @GrowingWisdom, email us at thewakeup@wgbh.org, or text 617-300-2008.
Will we get any snow this weekend?
Perhaps, but just a sprinkling of it.
“Later Sunday night, we might see a few flurries or snow showers. This certainly isn't going to be a shovel-able, plowable kind of snowstorm,” Epstein said.
Otherwise, expect some cloudy skies and highs in the 30s through Saturday and Sunday, Epstein said.
Looking at historical weather records, Boston typically gets 2-4 inches of snow in the first two weeks of December. But there are plenty of years on record where snow did not come until later in the month, Epstein said.
“It’s not that unusual,” he said. “Now, if our ground is still completely bare a month from now and we’ve had zero snow at that point, that becomes a little more at the far end of unusual.”
In 2000, he said, Boston made it until Jan. 13 without more than 0.1 inches of snow.
“We had 5.5 inches on that day, and that sort of ended that streak,” he said.
Mr. Epstein, one day I saw frost on my neighbor’s roof, but noticed none on my car. Could it be that frost is dependent on elevation above the ground? –Roy in Wellesley
There could be a number of factors at play, but yes: elevation plays a part in what frosts over and what doesn’t.
“Actual temperature — officially — is recorded about 5 feet above the ground,” Epstein said. “So it could be 36 up above the ground, but at the surface, like the surface of your roof, it can be slightly colder as the cold air gets there. You can also get frost on the grass where you don’t have frost, say a little bit higher up, because the cold air sinks.”
When will the tick frost come?
Epstein said he understands the frustration — he pulled a tick off his dog just this week. But ticks do not quite go dormant for the whole winter season. They will be significantly less active on cold days, but a warm snap can reawaken them at any time of year.
“It’s not like mosquitos, where you get a frost and they’re done for the year,” Epstein said. “Ticks are out there all year long. So in January, if we have a thaw and the temperature goes to 50 degrees and you walk your dog through the grass, you can get ticks.”
What is the status of water levels now? Are we still in a drought? – Jill in Watertown
Most of the state is out of a drought, Epstein said, though some parts of Essex County could use a bit of rain.
“We’re not like the western part of the country where they have groundwater issues,” Epstein said. “We end up with enough water over the course of several years that we’re not going to see problems like that.”
