Slowest Start To Spring Since 96?

[SP1986]

My Acer generally starts budding in early March so thats way way behind, but then it's flowered for the first time so maybe that's why!?

[damianslaw]

The sunshine of the last few days has done wonders, helping many of the spring flowers which a couple of weeks ago were still very much in winter mood, to suddenly spring into life. Also, blossom is abundant on many trees, not sure what type of blossom. Also some hedgerows are beginning to green and some trees are close to budding into leaf.

Spring has finally sprung into action in the Lake District.

[LomondSnowstorm]

Hi Damian, just realised I was in your town on Friday, oddly enough while staying in Newcastle and I can testify that it felt pretty warm there and certainly more springlike in terms of vegetation than we'd seen up to the end of March here.

[Guest]

Spring is well and truely springing here now that we've had day after day of warmer and warmer weather. In fact in the last week the temp readings have been:

9,12,12,15,17,19 and probably the high teens again today which is pretty good for this time of year. The way this month is going we're going to have an April warmer, sunnier and wetter than average. Can't complain about that.

[Cheese Rice]

Spring is well and truely springing here now that we've had day after day of warmer and warmer weather. In fact in the last week the temp readings have been:

9,12,12,15,17,19 and probably the high teens again today which is pretty good for this time of year. The way this month is going we're going to have an April warmer, sunnier and wetter than average. Can't complain about that.

Yeah same here, very similar temps pretty much across the whole country which makes a change 15/12/14/16/19/15 (temperatures recorded at 50M ASL)

Average this month is 8.1c, don't know what the average is.

[damianslaw]

Hi Damian, just realised I was in your town on Friday, oddly enough while staying in Newcastle and I can testify that it felt pretty warm there and certainly more springlike in terms of vegetation than we'd seen up to the end of March here.

Yes it was very nice on Friday, but Saturday was warmer. It was one of those great spring weekends in the lake district, a similiar weekend in about a months time would be even more stunning as we will have everything in light fresh shade of green with bluebells etc. We are entering a special time of year mid-late spring and into early june, the next couple of months on average tend to deliver much more settled conditions than the 2 months therafter, not as warm, but for me the best time to be in the Lake District (apart from when we have lovely snow covering the landscape and those rare autumn days with trees in full golden splendour and sunny still days).

[Derp Patrol]

Definately noticed today how much cooler it was, just 13C which is only 1C below the average max for here, but a cold wind and the lack of sun was definately noticeable. Cherry tree is starting to lose blossom now - 2 weeks late, and many trees are now starting to leaf.

[Nick L]

I can't believe it's mid-April and many trees around here are still completely bare. It won't be until at least mid-May until everything is fully green - just shows how cold last winter really was.

[Somerset Squall]

Spring flowers have certainly burst into life. Daffs still in full bloom (and still a few left to open), and now the tulips are opening quite rapidly from what they were last week. Trees also showing life, with many horse chestnuts leafing up, along with willows and a few small cherry trees are blossoming (large trees are bare). Elms around here are producing the first leaves along with the hawthornes. However, my potted Acer is usually leafing up by now but is still bare this year with slowly fattening buds currently. Beech, birch, oak, ash, sycamore and magnolia are some of the trees I've observed which are yet to show any signs of life, this is relatively normal for here apart from the Birch and Magnolia.

[SP1986]

I went on the train the other day past Liverpool west (Crosby area) and could not believe that many of the trees in the area were almost fully crowned. Further out towards Southport the trees where light budding but nothing to the extent of Crosby

[Somerset Squall]

Forgot to say, I think the most notably late tree here to blossom is the Cherry Plum. Last year it was late February when it blossomed (and I may be wrong but the year before was early to mid Feb!), and this year the blossom has only just emerged (last week so early April) and rather than occur before the leaves it is occuring at the same time as the leaves.

[Cheese Rice]

Hmm maybe there a load of weird trees here, none of the trees round here even have buds on which is always the case. The leaves aren't fully out on all the trees till the first week of June.

[Snowyowl9]

Only just mowed the lawn for the first time and it`s the easiest first mow I can remember,not much growth at all.

The 2 earliest sycamore have started to leaf last few days on a few boughs.

[BlueHedgehog074]

At times, it feels March-like outside and at other times it feels very May-ish or April-ish outside; the latter mostly true when it has been warm and sunny, or with sunshine and showers. Indeed, the grass is not quite as long this year at the moment and would say that Spring has awoken from its nap quite late this year.

However, having said that, I personally felt the first part of March was Spring-like with a good amount of sunshine, despite the fact it was cool on numerous days, although apart from that, I think this has surely been the slowest start to Spring in over ten years.

[Terminal Moraine]

Saw the first Cowslip in flower today here, 6 days later than the average date over the last 27 years. It's the latest date only since 2006 when the first one flowered on April 24th; the latest date on record for the first flowering is May 1st in 1986.

[SP1986]

Some trees are almost completely crowned, some trees are only just budding, strange mix!

Horse Chestnuts look full of leaves now, Birch is almost in young full leaf.

[Terminal Moraine]

Interesting to see how spring has 'caught up' with the relatively warm weather in April. The first Daffodil was out here on April 5th, 11 days later than the average over the last 27 years but the first Cowslip was noted on the 15th of April, just 4 days later than the average. The Thorn trees at about 300 mts were breaking into leaf on April 13th, 5 days later than average but those at 340m began to break into leaf on April 18th, 2 days earlier than the 27 year average.

Sycamore trees at 340m were beginning to break into leaf on April 24th, 3 days earlier than the average.

[Northernlights]

Daffodils in the shade of a north facing beech hedge in the garden are finally in bloom yesterday while elsewhere they are all in full bloom and will be into the begining of May. Will hopefully get the cattle out to grass fulltime at the end of this week about 10 days later than average. May defer this if the weekend forecast worsens.

[AderynCoch]

Bizarre goings-on at the daffodil patch at the bottom of the road - some are only just starting to bloom, some are already wilted.

[Northernlights]

North facing daffodils on farm road still in full bloom on the farm road. They will last well into May if the weather stays as cool as it is today.

[Derp Patrol]

All trees down here are fully leaved now, and cherries are now visible on my tree (very small though)

[BlueHedgehog074]

Indeed. Quite a lot more flowered bushes and greens and yellows on the trees, compared to a few weeks back. Some of the daffodils still in flower, too.

There sure is more of a Springy look outside now. The other year I can remember when Spring started off slowly was 2006, and possibly 2001.