Spring 2023 – Debuting Soon Across America

Spring is less than two days away! March madness is in full swing, and that does not only apply to basketball.

While brackets are being busted across the country this first weekend of March Madness, there are so many other things going on that should be of concern to Americans and the rest of the world. Maria Shriver writes in The Sunday Paper (March 19, 2023):

“…this month there’s so much other madness swirling about: weather storms, bank storms, economic storms, and political storms, to name a few. The new-and-improved version of ChatGPT just launched and claims it can pass the SAT and the bar exam with flying colors. Deepfake videos rattled an entire school system in New York State. The Russians are pretending they were justified in attacking an American drone, even though video shows the contrary. And a historic indictment of a former president looms on the horizon, with Trump using his platforms this weekend to call for protests in a way that echoed January 6…What’s real anymore? What’s fake? What’s safe? What’s sound? These are the questions that abound.”

While there is much to be alarmed about as shown in the above text, let’s stick with the arrival of spring for now. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, spring – the season between winter and summer – will arrive on Monday, March 20, 2023 at 5:24 p.m. EDT. This is also known as the arrival of the Vernal Equinox which is also known as the First Point of Aries.

The arrival of spring normally signals warmer weather ahead. The second half of Winter 2022-2023 has had its share of unseasonably warm days and not only the southern half of the United States. Yet, there’s a frost and/or freeze warming in place for some southern states on the first day of spring and the day after.

Here’s a twist! My allergies and sinuses have been off the charts for the past two months. I am not the only one asking “Do you remember the pollen being this thick when we were growing up here in the Southeastern United States?” The answer is “NO”! Various scientist and organizations have reported that the pollen has been unusually high this year. As an example, the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma physicians practice reported that the pollen count climbed to the extremely high range during the first week in March 2023. Folks at the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang noted the first “high” tree pollen count occurred on February 8^th – the highest count so early in the season.

Meteorologist and other scientists have attributed this early pollen explosion to an exceptionally warm February in the South and East. They also explain that as the planet warms, allergy season is starting earlier and lasting longer. That has certainly been my experience to date. Climate Central, a non-profit advocacy group also points out that the average, growing season — the period between the last freeze in spring to the first freeze of fall — is lasting 16 days longer in the Southeast, 15 days longer in the Northeast and 14 days longer in the South.

However, the arrival of the first day of spring is not all gloom and doom. I look forward to this time of year – if for no other reason, to marvel at the blooming cherry blossoms in the Greater Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. According to the National Park Service, peak bloom is when 70% of the blossoms open on the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. The blooming period is predicted to occur between March 22 and 25, 2023. However, the blossoms are already showing.

Welcome Spring 2023!