RIP Winter?

I was hoping this was going to be the case:

Spring-like temperatures that had some Illinoisans reaching for golf clubs instead of snow shovels as they greeted 2006 will dip later this week, but the worst of winter’s freeze may already be over, weather officials said Tuesday.

Above-normal temperatures are forecast through March, making a repeat of the frigid blast that ushered in December unlikely, said Ed Shimon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

[snip]

Weather officials say the balmy January temperatures have set no records around the state, but on Monday they spawned the sort of storms usually found in the spring.

The warm spell came a month after Illinois’ second-coldest start to December on record, weather officials said. Statewide temperatures were nearly 11 degrees below
normal for the first 20 days of that month, with above-average snowfall that piled up to 16 inches in parts of northern Illinois, according to the Illinois State Water Survey.

I kind of wish this scenario would play out every year. With the distraction of the holidays, it’s easier to ignore the bad weather in December. Honestly, this year the weather didn’t bother me much with all the parties, shopping, Christmas prep, etc. After the first of the year, it’s easier to get through the rest of the winter, with its ever-lengthening days, if it’s mild.