Spring is expected to arrive at least two to three weeks early for many in the U.S, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS.
Spring is expected to arrive at least two to three weeks early for many in the U.S, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS.
As a press release on the agency’s website states, “spring is now making an appearance in coastal California, southern Nevada, southeastern Colorado, central Kansas, Missouri, southern Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. And it's rolling up across West Virginia and Virginia, soon to hit Philly and Indianapolis, but it's already sprung - days ago -- across the southern Great Plains and SE Atlantic Coast, and it was 22 days early in Washington, DC!”
The post also notes, “This unusually early spring is likely to keep rolling north, already bringing surprising signs of spring to portions of the central Midwest and northeastern states.”
New Spring Leaf Index maps developed in conjunction with the USA National Phenology Network, which tracks the timing of seasonal plant and animal cycles, shows this progression.
Weather experts have linked the early spring to an increasingly warming world; in fact, the USGS says that “2016 was the hottest year ever recorded for the globe.”
And while they acknowledge that a break from the winter cold might seem welcoming, they argue that there could be risks that impact human health, agriculture, and the economy.
