BUFFALO, NY - Snow is back, and it may be confusing plants that have already begun sprouting due to last week's long warm stretch which thawed the ground.
Trees and grape vines are budding which is especially unsettling to some in the Southern Tier, where a harsh stretch of cold weather over the winter caused a lot of damage to some local vineyards.
"Just did a site visit with a grower last week and they saw over 80 percent bud mortality in some Riesling," Jackie Dresser, with the Cornell Research Lake Erie Regional Grape Program, said.
Dresser also says the latest fluctuations temperatures aren't something to worry about at this point, and anything budding right now will be fine as long as they don't actually break bud yet.
"So when we talk about a bud break, it's actually when the bud bursts open and the new spring growth emerges. It takes a sustained warm period and longer daylight hours," Dresser explained.
But something to watch for in the yards and farms is too much water in the soil from snow melt from an already above average winter for snowfall.
"You can run into water logging situations, and that's a real problem for roots. They need oxygen and space to be able to grow," Dresser said.