Spring is definitely late in our area... and I read this morning that Thriplow Daffodil Festival is facing a complete lack of daffodils (not ideal for a daffodil festival).

Just wondered if spring is similarly late elsewhere... and how people know when it's arrived? I always feel spring's definitely here when I see bluebells! 

We have loads of bluebells but at present the leaves are barely 2 inches high.  we also have a lot of wild daffodils which look as though they could start to bloom if we have another warmish week.  The catkins are out in the hedges, but nothing else seems to be stirring.

I do know it's spring, however, we had our Council Tax bill yesterday!!!!

Did I hear correctly on the Stephen Fry QI programme that Spring moves north at the rate of about 1/2 mile an hour?

At any rate the Dymock Daffodil Walks of three weeks ago did not take place as there were no Jonquils (Wilds daffs) out. In our garden however, we have had about an 800 square feet patch of snowdrops out for almost five weeks. The daffs are peeping through but no sign of bluebells. It must be global warming that is holding everything back.

 47F today, with drizzle.  65F tomorrow, with sun.  66F Friday, with possible thunderstorms, 22F Saturday night, with snow.  I don't think spring is here, it might be on your side of the big water.

We planted our garden taters last St Pat's Day, it was 87F.  I read, by the way, we are supposed to have another cold and wet summer...could make for some really interesting grain markets over the next 8 weeks if the US encounters widespread planting problems, as it appears we undoubtedly will.  With all the snowmelt up north they were talking about some big time flooding as well.

Peter Wells:

Did I hear correctly on the Stephen Fry QI programme that Spring moves north at the rate of about 1/2 mile an hour?

The 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry!"

kansasfarmer:

We planted our garden taters last St Pat's Day, it was 87F.

 

Over here it was always said to plant your taters on Good Friday, something to do with the moon phase.

But in reality Good Friday was always worked as if it were Sunday, (stock duties only) and the farm workers could have that extra couple of days in the garden in one weekend

Peter Wells:

Did I hear correctly on the Stephen Fry QI programme that Spring moves north at the rate of about 1/2 mile an hour?

I remember him mentioning that, although at the time I got confused (something that often happens when I'm watching QI) about the rate. Half a mile an hour sounds about right though... 360 miles in a month.

There's been much more of an East-West temperature gradient than North-South this year, with Glasgow regularly being 10 degrees or so warmer than us in Suffolk during February. Some things, like Myrabalan plum blossom, and Apricot blossom, are a good 6 weeks behind where they've been in most of the years in the last decade. We have in unusual spectacle in the garden of early snowdrops, late snowdrops, early irises, early crocuses, late crocuses, aconites, and dwarf early daffs all in flower simultaneously. Standard daffs aren't out yet. My neighbour's rape is very much alive, but has clearly suffered as a result of the cold this year, and is being very slow to re-start into growth despite temperates regularly around 14 or 15 for the last week.

Here in sodden Portugal (more than a year's "normal" rainfall in 11 weeks from 21 December) spring appears to be fairly well on the usual timing. Limit of 7 years records. I am beginning to think daylength has as much to do with it as temperature. We are running approximatley 1ºC above last year - which ended up about 1ºC higher than any of the previous ones in my limited database. The apricots blossomed 3 weeks ago, followed by the almonds, and the plums are now fully open with the peaches just a few flowers at full open. This is about the same timing as last year and the year before. We have had an extremely mild winter, only once down to minus 6ºC instead of the usual half dozen or so occasions. Even so we had about 1" of snow one morning, a rarity. Daytime temperatures have been lower due to incessant cloud cover, but that has also resulted in higher night time minimums, so the overall mean is higher. We topped 20ºC for the first time this year yesterday - about 2 weeks behind previous years. Rain again now, but clear days and nights could still see some hefty frosts.

 It was just 9 days ago we had snowdrifts in the road up to my waist, and lows of about 20F. Since then we have had two rains go around us, leading me to tell Mrs. KF Sunday, "the drouth started yesterday".  Now, we are looking at temps in the low 80s, and are in a fire weather watch until at least tomorrow night, possibly through Thursday, with wind gusts to 33mph and humidity below 20% maybe below 15%.  It is still too wet to get in the field, but I have to wonder, has our pattern finally changed, and my long predicted "it will be dry just as long as it has been wet" finally come true?

In Cornwall since 8 o'clock this morning, I have experienced the following weather conditions in this order:-

Heavy snow, heavy rain, sleet, hail, gales and now sunshine!

What is going on please?!?!?!?!

we have horizontal freezing rain, snow higher up. many lambs will be dead by morning. flood waters are highest i have seen.

We now seem to have a rainy season and a dry season, rather than spring/summer/autumn/winter. Or perhaps rain/rain/drizzle/rain.

Been well over average rain in November, December, February and March. Coupled with little wind and no warmth.

To sum up, another cack year of weather.

Howling gale all day, snow for most of it. Lost a calf despite my best efforts. Not the worst weather we have had, May can be as bad here sometimes but not pleasant.

the cornish ba#t*rd:

Heavy snow, heavy rain, sleet, hail, gales and now sunshine! What is going on please?!?!?!?!

You really musn't worry.  Gordon the omnipotent abolished the fluctuations of boom and bust. After the election he will get down to sorting out the weather.

Still a howling gale, still snowing lost a stirk (yearling cattlebeast) pneumonia I think. Stock very fed up wet and cold, me too.

Moved all stock to shelter, weather getting even worse if that is possible. Lost another calf despite being brought in this morning it just could not raise its body temperature. A power outage across the whole of the north grid for a couple of minutes too. At least one fatality in a snow related crash at Biggar. This is worse than the ice storm a few weeks ago and I hoped never to see another. The strength of the gusts with snow behind them is unbelievable.

Peter Wells:

You really musn't worry.  Gordon the omnipotent abolished the fluctuations of boom and bust. After the election he will get down to sorting out the weather.

Gorden the Omnipotent couldn't sort out the flatulations of his own wind, let alone that in the weather!

P.s. I shall make a note of the word "Omnipotent". I like it! I want to use it more in conversation.

       I don't know if it is Spring, Summer or Winter here, and neither, it would appear do the daffodils. Mine are still in leaf, whilst those down the road are in full flower. On Saturday I was rolling Spring barley in the sun with the cooler on, yesterday I was wading into a field digging a trench to let the water away. This morning much of the ground was white and roads were blocked within twenty miles of here. Now it is dry. The only constant in the last twenty four hours is the relentless wind, and it is wild and freezing.

        Old macdonald, you are making my mouth water, six weeks ago I was eating apricots straight off the tree in 28C. Now I know why so many go to New Zealand and don't come back. .....perhaps we should send the omnipotent one over there!

AllyR, I think a man should be allowed to live and die in his own country if he wants, no matter what his "achievements" may have been!!

Back on here thanks to generator, power off now. Rear of house flooded due to massive snow/rain fall over the last 3 hours. No repair time from the Hydro as they have run out of crews. I am off to bed things might look better in the morning.

l thought we had had a tough winter and late spring, but you folk up north have had everything thrown at you this winter.

l hope the rest of the year makes up for it and you can regain lost ground.

 i have lost about half an acre of topsoil and probably 20 acres of beans. 15  dead lambs this morning, but i expected 100. 

50% of spring barley in the district will be a write off. and 100% if its been rolled.

 I feel for you fellows.  Believe it or not, 84F here at a quarter till 6 in the evening.  I am a bit red around the neck and ears, got a lot of sun and wind today.  Very low humidity.  Fire weather watch until tomorrow evening, this is a relatively new thing and seems to be working quite well, we have had no fires the last two days during the watch, I think people are paying attention and being very careful. Might get our first tornadic storms Friday.

we used to crutch lambs in spring with our teeth but now we are told it is inhumaine ..???