Spring may not feel like it yet in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley, with only a few warm days so far and lingering chilly weather. However, data and natural signs suggest the season is already beginning to take hold in our region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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In the Capital Region, specifically around Albany International Airport, spring is running ahead of normal. Despite recent temperature swings, we\u2019ve picked up more warmth than usual since January. This extra heat has accelerated the spring season, putting us about three days ahead of the typical timing based on the 1991-2020 average, according to the USA National Phenology Network<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the Hudson Valley, the trend is even more pronounced. The accumulated growing degree days in the city of Poughkeepsie\u00a0are about six days ahead of schedule, almost keeping pace with last year\u2019s unusually early spring.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n What are the different definitions of spring?<\/p>\n In climatology, spring is always March, April and May. In astronomy, spring starts with the vernal equinox, which is based on the Earth\u2019s position relative to the sun, or around March 20. It\u2019s when the Northern Hemisphere starts tilting more toward the sun, bringing longer days and warmer weather to our part of the world, according to Theresa Crimmins, director of the USA National Phenology Network.<\/p>\n Yet locally, we observe signs of spring by observing natural events.\u00a0<\/p>\n Left: A maple tree blossoms Monday at Washington Park in Albany. Right: New foliage on a willow tree Monday next to Washington Park Lake in Albany.<\/p>\n Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n Top: A maple tree blossoms Monday at Washington Park in Albany. Bottom: New foliage on a willow tree Monday next to Washington Park Lake in Albany.<\/p>\n Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when we start to actually see leaf buds start to break open, flowers start to appear, migratory birds reappear, and insects start to initiate their activity,\u201d Crimmins said. \u201cThose events are not fixed in time because they are largely cued by local conditions like temperature. If it\u2019s a warm spring, those things tend to start earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make the Times Union a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Here is what the local nature says.<\/p>\n Leaves say we\u2019re almost there<\/p>\n Plants have already started greening up across much of the country, beginning in the South as early as January, in places like Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and gradually moving north. In the Capital Region, signs of spring are appearing<\/a>. The first leaf-out has been observed in the Hudson Valley and in parts of Western New York.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Plants know when to grow by responding to environmental signals such as temperature and day length,\u00a0Crimmins said. Some plants require sufficient warmth, while others use the lengthening of days as a protective mechanism to ensure it\u2019s safe to expose their tissues.<\/p>\n Early bloomers include snowdrops, hellebores and crocuses, along with skunk cabbage, budding maples and birches, and shrubs like witch hazel and forsythia that flower before leafing out.<\/p>\n Left: Snowdrops emerge from their winter slumber at Washington Park on March 11. Right: Yellow arum lilies flower on the leafy ground.<\/p>\n Will Waldron\/Times Union; Bryan Knox, Getty Images<\/p>\n Top: Snowdrops emerge from their winter slumber at Washington Park on March 11. Bottom: Yellow arum lilies flower on the leafy ground.<\/p>\n Will Waldron\/Times Union; Bryan Knox, Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cThe growing season is often considered to start after the last frost, then runs from the last spring frost to the first fall frost,\u201d said Jessica Spaccio, a climatologist at the Northeast Regional Climate Center, which defines the last frost as the last time temperatures hit 32 degrees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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