Time for yet another Q&A post, in which we answer your questions about area weather and Space City Weather itself. If you missed past Q&As, we keep an archive of them here. Submit your own questions via the Contact link on the blog’s home page, or post it to our Weather Talk topic on our Discourse forum.
Q. Every year for the past 20 odd years I’ve been raking leaves on my property in North Houston and this would normally stop by mid January. It’s mid February and maples and water oaks are shedding like crazy, not to mention that it seems like the drought made pines start dropping their needles like a month earlier. What is going on!?
A. First of all, I’ve noticed this phenomenon as well this winter, and have wondered the same thing. Second, I am not an arborist (although I do love trees). However, I do think the weather is involved here, and probably explains what has happened.
Live oaks typically keep their leaves well into winter, as you note. Then, they finally drop their leaves just as new ones are ready to emerge. So why is it happening later this year?…