Spring 2024

[Freeze]

Very spring like here today, 10c blue skies and little wind.

[Metwatch]

Quite a noticeable growth for bluebells in recent weeks! If April is warmer than last year they should come to flower a few weeks earlier than last spring I'd have thought!

@raz.org.rain 2020 for me or even 2022!

Edited February 12 by Metwatch

[raz.org.rain]

 Metwatch hopefully we get an early spring à la 2019!

[TQWX]

Its been a great late winter day here with an early taste of spring in the sunshine which was lovely and warm out of the breeze. I thought I would have seen more flowers than I did but we have had a few cold spells recently. But the magnolia is just starting to come out, and I saw plenty of wasps although I've been seeing those all winter. Some fruit that's ripened through the winter too. Palm fruit and olive trees full of fruit. I'm not sure when they get that in Italy maybe late summer, early autumn but I guess you have to wait until February in the UK for an olive crop!

 

 

[Weather Enthusiast91]

Starting to feel some warmth from the sun now. Still plenty of time yet for some wintry surprises though.

It's much like August starts to show a noticeable difference in the sun angle, but can still be the hottest month of the summer.

[raz.org.rain]

 TQWX  TQWX funnily enough, here's an article from 2006 that discusses how the climate was growing more suitable for olive crops in southern England. I'd imagine it's considerably better for olive crops now. 

Britain's first olive grove is a sign of our hotter times

WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK

---

In one of the most remarkable signs yet of the advance of global warming, Britain's first olive grove has been planted in Devon.

 

[TQWX]

 raz.org.rain Interesting that the article was written 18 years ago. " A 39-year-old environmental consultant, Mr Diacono has no doubt that UK temperatures are becoming suitable for olive cultivation. "There's no question that the climate is going to get there," he said. "It's just, have I done this 10 years too early or 20 years too early?". I wonder if it worked out for him? A new Italian garden with ancient olive trees is being built this summer on the seafront in the appropriately named "Italian Garden". It might have been Italian a long time ago but for decades its mostly been cordyline australis there. The cordylines have been chopped down and the new garden is being built this spring. Alot of people were upset at the loss of the cordylines but there must be tens of thousands of those growing in the bay so its no real loss. The new garden should be much better.

[Catherine91]

I went for a walk at about 2pm when it was partly cloudy with a cold breeze, and I could feel warmth from the sun every time it peeked out from behind the clouds.

One of the gardens near me has daffodils in full bloom (some growing through gaps in the paving slabs so must mean they were not recently planted!) and I keep hearing a few different bird species joining in with the singing.

[NEVES SCREAMER]

It's coming home. It's coming home.It's coming. The sun is coming home !  

[MP-R]

 Catherine91 hardly any daffs here yet but I’d imagine after this balmy week, they’ll be out.

[*Stormforce~beka*]

 NEVES SCREAMER All it did is leave it's dirty laundry ...

[raz.org.rain]

The warm September = mild winter myth reminded me of this:

Did the groundhog see his shadow? Punxsutawney Phil's 2024 forecast

WWW.USATODAY.COM

---

On Friday morning, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow and made his annual Groundhog Day prediction. Here's what to know.

 

[WYorksWeather]

Thursday will be very April-like, as I was saying in the model thread. Bands of showers over the UK, hopefully with a few breaks in the cloud, and very mild for the time of year. 15C will probably feel almost warm if the sun does come out, given it'll be the first day to reach that temperature for several months for many of us. 

Frankly I'll take it at this time of year. It doesn't look like we're getting a BFTE, so the alternative would probably the exact same weather, but 5C instead of 15C. I've got no expectations for the rest of the winter at this point so we might as well have some early spring warmth.

[raz.org.rain]

 WYorksWeather a beast from the east just sounded unrealistic from the beginning. An average cold spell or an early warm spell always seemed like the more likely outcomes given how winter has gone.

[raz.org.rain]

A few mentions of northern blocking in April and May. But given how the long range forecasts have performed so far in regards to northern blocking, probably safe to assume a very low likelihood.

[WYorksWeather]

Because why not, here's another update from CFSv2.

March:

April:

May:

It does look like a pretty blocked spring, and temperatures only a little above average.

Not to worry though - with the usual reliability of these charts, we can probably expect one of the warmest springs on record!

[Arctic Hare]

As I bore everyone to death by constantly banging on about, if it's *dry* this spring I'm less fussed about the temperature, within reason. I would like some sunshine, though. My ideal would be a warm, dry spring rather than a hot summer, since especially later in the summer I don't really like serious heatwaves as the humidity tends to go through the roof. 20 °C on Easter Day (31 March) would be quite a lot more to my liking than 40 °C in late July!

Edit: though admittedly the extreme 2022 heatwave was surprisingly bearable to be out in because humidity was very low.

Edited February 15 by Arctic Hare

[cheese]

The teleconnections/tea leaves tell me it’s going to be the hottest spring on record.  

Edited February 15 by cheese

[Arctic Hare]

 cheese Tea-leconnections?

[Scorcher]

 WYorksWeather Good assessment- it does feel quite warm outside at the moment- in fact plenty of April days don't feel this mild.

The wind is fairly light here and humidity is high. Camellias are in full bloom everywhere and the birds are chirping away.

The sun has peaked out a couple of times as well here this morning and it feels very springlike indeed whenever it comes out.

[ManiaMuse]

Feels lovely outside today even with the grey skies and a bit of a breeze.

Think the daffodils in my garden will flower within the next week or so.

[raz.org.rain]

 cheese Sod's law says it has to happen eventually! Could it be this year? Someone did make the call on Twitter... (the chart used in the tweet is for last week's anomalies)

 

[WYorksWeather]

Ridiculously mild day today. 15C by local rural or semi-rural stations, but looking on Met Office WOW it looks like more like 17C in urban areas. Breeze felt almost warm at times.

18C at Mildenhall looks to be the highest from an official station so far, so if no advance on that we just miss the date record.

 

[lassie23]

Spring began here in November

[sunny_vale]

Really feels like Spring has begun now (and I'm out of an apparent posting-hibernation). Sunday and Monday were quite pleasant in the sun, and noticing the increased warmth and brightness from the sun too. Then today was something else. Don't think we reached a temperature that high here last year until the very end of April!! Does anyone know the official max for today and where? Hopefully this will be a taste of things to come as I'm ready for spring official now - although winter tends to have one final sting some time around the end of Feb or early March.