Mud season

Muddy dirt road during mud season in Maine

Mud season is a period in late winter and early spring when dirt becomes muddy from melting snow and ice, making travel more difficult.

Mud season occurs in places where the ground freezes in winter and thaws in spring. Dirt roads and paths become muddy because the deeply frozen ground thaws from the surface down as the air temperature warms above freezing. The frozen lower layers of ground prevent water from percolating into the soil so the surface layers of soil become saturated with water and turn to mud.

The term mud season is used in northern climates, particularly in rural northern New England and the northern areas of the Great Lakes. It is often jokingly called the "fifth season".^[1]

A similar term, rasputitsa, is used in Russia and other Eastern European countries.^[2]

Mud season can be expensive for towns due to the damage done to dirt roads. One report concluded that the cost of re-engineering dirt roads so that they would remain passable during mud season in the state of Vermont could run as high as $140,000 per mile ($87,000/km).^[3]

Cultural references[]

In Maine, Vermont, upstate New York, and New Hampshire, the phrase "mud season" can be used as a shorthand reference to the vicissitudes and peculiarities of life in the region. The term has been used as the title of magazines,^[4] books,^[5] and at least one movie.^[6]

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