Beware Of "False Spring"!

Meteorological spring began on March 1st. March 20th marked the start of astronomical spring. And with temperatures rising into the 70s this weekend, it certainly feels like spring.

But despite the warm weather and what the calendar indicates, an early start to spring sometimes masks the reality that there’s still the potential for killing frosts ahead.

Climatologist Kenny Blumenfeld notes that from a phenological standpoint, growing conditions this spring are about two weeks ahead of normal, a trend that has been occurring more frequently in recent years in Minnesota.

Blumenfeld cautions that this phenomena known as a “false spring” can catch gardeners and crop growers by surprise.

Even though temperatures have been trending warmer in February and March, we’re not becoming less susceptible to devastating spring freezes later on, according to Blumenfeld.

“We’re sort of expanding this window of vulnerability,” says Blumenfeld, “because spring now can start earlier, but we haven’t really seen much change on the killer, that sort of final killing frost of the season.”

Blumenfeld says it’s important to note that not every year is like this year in terms of warmer than usual late winter and early spring temperatures.

“But when you average it out,” says Blumenfeld, “most studies confirm that spring has basically started three to five days earlier on average than it did historically” in the central and northern parts of the North American continent.

Blumenfeld and co-host Jim du Bois also discuss the dry conditions in many parts of the state, the prospects for rain this coming week and the 23rd anniversary of the Comfrey-St. Peter tornadoes.

You can read a transcript of the episode here.