Has Spring Sprung?

March 16, 2006 7:48 AM

Has Spring arrived where you are?

(With apologies to those in the South). Here in England Spring is late, by about a month (I would guess). Nothing unusual there but I'm curious to know if the arrival of Spring varies around the world. Are there places, right now, where Spring arrived early and is well under way? Is the timing of blossom, leaf growth, entirely due to local temperature? I judge the lateness of spring specifically here by Daffodils, but Cherry Blossom and leaf growth all seem co-ordinated by some invisible hand. How does it work and why does it seem no-one can predict the timing in advance?

posted by grahamwell to science & nature (48 comments total)

Here in Toronto we had an unusually warm few days last weekend, but it's back to being cold now. We've seen the last of the snow I'm sure, and the birds are back, but the trees are still naked, and the flowers haven't bloomed.
posted by Robot Johnny at 7:51 AM on March 16, 2006

Spring begins at the Spring Equinox.

The plants know when it's time to grow and bud by the hours of sunlight and the temperature.

Animals start doing the nasty as the days lengthen and the abundance of green things to eat increases.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:53 AM on March 16, 2006

It was 80 F (27 C) on Monday but then dropped to the 50s (about 12C) by Tuesday here in Washington, DC. The trees started to flower and daffodils are coming up. Our annual Cherry Blossom Festival begins March 25. Washington at its most beautiful.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 7:55 AM on March 16, 2006

Spring begins at the Spring Equinox.

That's way too rigid, given how climate, rainfall and other factors routinely influence the timing of so much of what we call spring. Me, I judge by the onset of allergies and the arrival of birds in my backyard. By that standard, spring arrived weeks early in North Carolina this year.
posted by mediareport at 7:57 AM on March 16, 2006

Three to six inches of snow today in Chicago. Bleh.
posted by lilybeane at 7:58 AM on March 16, 2006

In Seattle the daffodils are up and many trees are blooming, but tulips are still to come. You can watch our progress on this bloom map.
posted by roboto at 8:03 AM on March 16, 2006

In Germany it feels more like it's two months late. I don't think I've seen this kind of weather in March before.
posted by bloo at 8:03 AM on March 16, 2006

Four to eight inches due today here in Minnesota. Probably four already on the ground. Schools closed left and right, planes skidding off the runway at MSP...

OTOH, I heard that Target has hung up Easter doodads and is selling swimsuits...
posted by unixrat at 8:04 AM on March 16, 2006

Spring seems to have arrived early in Boston. But we've had snow as late as May in past years, so I'm hesitant to call it just yet.
posted by cribcage at 8:05 AM on March 16, 2006

Like most of the North-east of the US, here in New Jersey last weekend was warm and it did indeed feel like spring (daffodils were up, insects were out but the trees were bare). Now the temperatures are down to below 10C and we've got a couple of snow flurries on the way, but that should be the last of it so I guess you could say that spring is arriving in bursts.
posted by ob at 8:07 AM on March 16, 2006

Spring begins at the Spring Equinox.
There's an current argument about that in England. That aside, since many of the plants (eg: Daffodils) are underground until it's time to bloom, I would guess that sunlight can't have very much to do with it (unless they get messages, which is not completely preposterous). Temperature seems more likely to be the key, in which case, can we work out, by measuring temperature, what the algorithm is? It seems we should be able to. Right now our Daffodils look like this.
posted by grahamwell at 8:07 AM on March 16, 2006

Spring begins at the Spring Equinox.
Isn't disagreeing with that like saying "Defining the 21st of March as the day after the 20th of March is too rigid. Today is the 2nd of February, but it really feels like the 14th of June. Therefore the calendar is wrong and I am right."

P.S. Here in Utah spring is a sassy vixen, she gets all gussied up, struts around and then hides again every few weeks, starting in January.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:10 AM on March 16, 2006

Well, Robot Johnny scooped me for Toronto, but I think he understates it - winter never arrived in Toronto. We've been having spring since November.

Most things, like trees and flowers, are triggered by the length of the day and not the temperature, so nothing is going green any earlier than usual. But the weather has been really mild by Toronto standards.

Plus Shoppers Drug Mart is fully stocked with Easter choclate, so I suppose spring must be close.
posted by GuyZero at 8:11 AM on March 16, 2006

Here in Seattle, we had a false Spring a couple weeks ago, and now it's rainy and cold. Last night it felt like October again to me. But Spring is poised at the threshold, and it's going to be awesome.
posted by Hildago at 8:17 AM on March 16, 2006

blue_beetle, the issue is whether "spring" is solely defined by one factor - day length. Many would argue spring is not defined solely by one factor.
posted by mediareport at 8:20 AM on March 16, 2006

Here in Muncie, it's been wobbling between spring and winter all winter long. We had a couple of cold blasts and a couple of good snows, but they were separated by long stretches of extremely mild weather. February was very rainy.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:23 AM on March 16, 2006

Sunglasses and flipflops Saturday, shovels and boots today. Ah, Spring in Wisconsin.
posted by Tubes at 8:25 AM on March 16, 2006

I saw my first robin of the season here in cntral Massachusetts.

I think he/she is a bit premature, though.
posted by beccaj at 8:33 AM on March 16, 2006

Interesting and unexpected cultural difference. As an Scot/Englishman, what I mean by Spring is not really the weather, since that doesn't change very much, or very predictably except that the sun gets hotter. What I do mean is the vegetation, the whole look of the landscape, which is totally transformed from dead grey to alive green and pink over the course of about four weeks. In North America I'm guessing the change in the weather is much more marked than it is here.
posted by grahamwell at 8:34 AM on March 16, 2006

Everything's turned green here. I smell blossoms in the air.
posted by atchafalaya at 8:36 AM on March 16, 2006

Again, I'll say, spring begins on the spring equinox.

It is like asking, "when does Tuesday begin where you are?" To be precise, Tuesday begins at exactly midnight, but what if you are asleep? You don't start Tuesday until you wake up in the morning. I may wake up at 7:00 AM, while others get up earlier. Still others will still be awake when midnight rolls around.

For all of us, Spring begins on the equinox. The bulbs may not be awake yet due to hours of sunlight, average daily temperatures and the amount of precipitation, but really, literally, spring begins.

Now, yes, of course the bulbs themselves aren't getting much direct sunlight there in the ground, however the ground is getting thawed and warmed by the sunlight for longer periods. Once they are warmed consistently for long enough periods they send up shoots that do receive sunlight and begin photosynthesis.

The more they get at this point the more/faster they grow. Compare your bulbs in the shade to the ones in full sun. Which appeared first? Which bloom first?
posted by Pollomacho at 8:37 AM on March 16, 2006

s w michigan ... november/december until a week before xmas, quite cold and snowy ... we thought at the time it would be a hard winter

xmas to a week past groundhog day ... unusually warm early march like weather, little snow

rest of februrary/march ... up and down ... snow every week, but it melts within a day ... last sunday ... high temperature of 71 degrees

today in the mid-30s ... snow predicted

winter left before xmas ... spring and winter have been taking turns since then

i've never seen anything like it here ... the funny thing is that if you averaged it all out, it would be only a fairly mild winter ...
posted by pyramid termite at 8:39 AM on March 16, 2006

To modify the Chicago comment above:

Yes, we're expecting snow today, but we also had temps in the high 60s with full sun last weekend. Spring in Chicago is usually very erratic like this. I expect more dramatic warmups/cooldowns before full-on spring warmth.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 8:40 AM on March 16, 2006

What I do mean is the vegetation, the whole look of the landscape, which is totally transformed from dead grey to alive green and pink over the course of about four weeks.

it's still winter vegetation here ... trees have not bloomed, grass is still the usual winter color and has been for months

the unusual thing is we could actually SEE the grass ...
posted by pyramid termite at 8:43 AM on March 16, 2006

Vancouver's got daffodils and cherry blossoms.
posted by stray at 8:44 AM on March 16, 2006

Out here in equitorial Singapore, if it doesn't rain, it's sunny.

So yes, I guess you could say spring has arrived, now that we're getting that gentle breeze from Indonesia, and American Idol live off the satellite.
posted by the cydonian at 8:46 AM on March 16, 2006

I had my first iced coffee of the year last Saturday, so Spring has officially arrived in Boston. It did snow yesterday, though.
posted by emd3737 at 8:48 AM on March 16, 2006

Cecil Adams on when seasons start.
posted by hilker at 8:58 AM on March 16, 2006

Wikipedia can tell you more about seasons. The notion that spring begins with the vernal equinox (and that the start of each other season is marked by either an equinox or a solstice) is known as "astronomical seasons" apparently.

The article also points out "In the United Kingdom, the seasons are traditionally considered to begin about seven weeks earlier: spring begins on Candlemas, summer on May Day, autumn on Lammas, and winter on All Hallows."
posted by rongorongo at 9:01 AM on March 16, 2006

Nothing is blooming, nothing is green in this northern burb of Detroit, Michigan. We're due snow for the rest of the day, but the geese are back, the redwing blackbirds are back, I heard a spring peeper, and all of the omens are in place. The daffodils are about 4 inches up, the trees are heavily budded; if we could just have a week in the upper 40's, everything would pop.
posted by clarkstonian at 9:17 AM on March 16, 2006

Yes it has. In fact, I believe Mathowie is about to do some pruning...
posted by LarryC at 9:21 AM on March 16, 2006

Down here in Cornwall the daffs have only just broken through. I would normally have expected to see them in late Jan when I was in the Midlands and given the generally warmer climate I would expect them to come through earlier here, it's not being particularly cold winter here, though there has been more snow than is typical (even though it tends not to last long).
We did get a host of snowdrops from early Feb.
posted by biffa at 9:45 AM on March 16, 2006

in new new orleans, we've been doing spring for a while now. for the moment, though, it's quite nice - 60s-70s and the crawfish are blooming. too bad most of us aren't here to enjoy it. :(
posted by ab3 at 10:00 AM on March 16, 2006

In Helsinki it has been an exceptionally cold start for the year. Still snow on the ground but I guess the last few days could be called the first spring days since the sun has been shining and the ice and snow is slowly starting to melt.
posted by keijo at 10:04 AM on March 16, 2006

the daffodils are already dying back in athens, georgia. we had a really warm week, now it's chilly at night again.

Other spring ephemerals are emerging. No canopy, probably not a full canopy for another 5 weeks.
posted by eustatic at 10:10 AM on March 16, 2006

In the Okanagan we've had spring several times all winter. The last one was particularly offensive when it ended: we were getting be-yoootiful sunny days, that smell of growing earth, warm temperatures, green things coming out of the ground... and then, wham, coldsnap and snow.

This week we're back to spring. I've my fingers crossed that it truly takes hold this time.

This is a typical spring, IMO.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:25 AM on March 16, 2006

Here in the Twin Cities, we've had 2 snow emergencies this week. Sunday night we got around a foot of snow, and so far today we've gotten 6-8 inches.

This is after it was 58 and sunny last Thursday.
posted by charmston at 10:37 AM on March 16, 2006

Spring is most certainly here, and this is how I know: I can get 20 daffodils for $3 at my grocery store, and follow that up by shotgunning as many Cadbury Mini Eggs as I can.

And I guess the cherry blossoms, allergies, and birds waking me up at 4:30 in the morning might have something to do with spring, but that's beside the point. The point of Mini Eggs. Sweet, sweet Mini Eggs.

If God exists, I'm positive that s/he craps Mini Eggs. They're that good.
posted by Vervain at 11:03 AM on March 16, 2006

A few months ago I remarked to my daughter that summer was late (it's stayed late too). By that I meant that the typical weather conditions had not appeared. Hannah astutely asked how often summer was on time.

If you think about it, seasons will almost always be late or early, and hardly ever on time. The notional date is an _average_ date, but normal variation means that the warm weather is unlikely ever to start exactly then, but a week or two either side.

Spring is late. Spring is early. Spring is never on time.

(Obviously large-scale climate change is going to bugger things up even more but I reckon even in a very stable situation you won't have punctual spring).
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:09 AM on March 16, 2006

no
posted by elwoodwiles at 11:54 AM on March 16, 2006

It's a regular L.A. spring, which is to say it's not wildly different from the weather during the rest of the year. We've had a little rain, plenty of sun, and the 99-cent bunches of daffodils are appearing at Trader Joe's.
posted by scody at 12:26 PM on March 16, 2006

Checking in from just north of Cape Cod, there are crocuses starting to come out of the ground, the red-winged blackbirds and osprey are back, and I heard spring peepers the other night. I mark these all as signs of spring in my personal "natural history" book.
posted by nekton at 12:59 PM on March 16, 2006

Edmonton: no snow on the ground until the third week of February, but now we're getting the winter we should've gotten in January. Guess I won't be back on the bike until Easter.
posted by hangashore at 3:28 PM on March 16, 2006

Tokyo: Spring is definitely here because I have pine pollen allergy (kafunshou) that's only active in the spring, and I've definitely felt it since about a month. I *hate* spring.
posted by misozaki at 3:28 PM on March 16, 2006

...month ago. See, the pollen messes up my grammar...
posted by misozaki at 3:29 PM on March 16, 2006

North of San Francisco - our normal daytime temperature runs around 64 degrees and usually by this time, the winter rains have stopped. We had a pretty mild winter until New Year's Eve/Day when we had record floods in many parts of the North Bay. Then we had a few sunny days and breaks in the rain towards the end of January, then it seems like it's been raining ever since. We've had daffodils since late January and snow on the ground, at sea level, in my oceanside town, last Saturday. I long for spring, I am sick of the sight of my raincoat and I'm tired of being cold all the time. And I'm sorry, I have to disagree with Pollomacho. Spring is in your head and in your heart, it's not just a date set by the ancients.
posted by Lynsey at 9:15 PM on March 16, 2006

Near Hastings in the UK, things slower by about 3 weeks, plus a very late intense frost last week killed off a few plants unexpectedly. The Hamburg side of the family reports very heavy snow, unusually deep for this time of the year and the Irish family say "Ah for Feck's sake it's Paddy's Day! Daffodils, what daffodils that's a Welsh thing !!"
posted by Wilder at 4:57 AM on March 17, 2006

What stray said regarding Vancouver (I'm actually about an hour from there): daffodils, crocuses, cherry trees - all blooming. There's a fine green mist developing on some trees as well. The ground has green growth under last year's dead stuff. I've beeing seeing Robins and Red-winged blackbirds for about two weeks.
posted by deborah at 11:48 PM on March 17, 2006