Record Warmth Awakens Spring's First Leaves, And Unleashes The Pollen

Yahoo

07-02-2025

Has this warmup across the South made you wish for an early spring? Or you are dreading the thought of spring and the boxes of tissues you will go through from seasonal allergies.
Despite what the groundhog says or not, spring doesn't officially arrive until March, however, the warm conditions convince the leaves and blooms otherwise. Depending on where you live in the country, spring doesn't follow a special date on the calendar to make the switch.
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The National Phenology Network (NPN) tracks the arrival of an early spring, the first leaves that pop out (AKA 'leaf out') and the first blooms. And while it's far too early for the first signs of spring to show across much of the country, for the South it's a different story.
Spring ran two to three weeks late across the Gulf Coast. Much of this is most likely due to the extreme cold and snow that impacted this region during January. However, now the tables have turned as temperatures have been on the rise.
This week, areas across the Deep South have experienced record warmth. New Orleans set a record at 82 degrees on Thursday. Lubbock, Texas not only tied their February record Monday by hitting 91 degrees, but it was also nine days earlier than their previous record earliest high in the 90s in any year (Feb. 12, 2017). The city also hit daily record highs on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. Oklahoma set a state record high for any previous Feb. 3, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet project.
The recent spring-like temperatures have woken up the leaves across the south, and even caused some of the leaves to pop early for areas in north Texas, southern Arkansas, northern Mississippi and Alabama. Even areas in the southern metro of Atlanta are starting to see those first leaves pop a few weeks early. Also, some areas across California are experiencing those first leaves. According to the NPN, these areas typically see an early spring every one to four years, so it's not uncommon for the leaves to start popping early, however, you'll have to wait a while longer for the bluebonnets to bloom.
If you are looking for those first blooms, it's not quite time. The only areas seeing blooms right now are in south Florida, but let's be honest, flowers are always in bloom there!
Do you have your box of tissues ready? Pollen season is also starting to rear its ugly head across the South.
While the highest pollen counts are still contained in central Florida and right along the Gulf Coast, as the warmer temperatures stick around, the pollen will be increasing in the coming weeks.
(MORE: Check Here To See Highest Pollen Counts)
In Melbourne, Florida, pollen is already starting to show up on people's cars. The National Weather Service office in Melbourne posted this photo on X (formerly Twitter) showing the yellow pollen and crediting the live oaks as the leading pollen producer this spring season.
The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) shows the warmth continuing across the South, with the warmer temperatures creeping into portions of the mid-Atlantic in the coming weeks. Cold weather seems to hang onto the northern tier of the country for the time being as well as New England.
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Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.