The temperature data shown in Figure 1 will come as no surprise to anyone. This spring we had a very early warm period, much earlier than anytime this decade and even earlier than 2012. This started in mid February and continued for a couple of weeks. Thankfully since the start of March, we returned to cooler, more typical weather and the accumulation of Growing Degree Days virtually stopped. We have seen another warming trend in the last week or so, which still ranks this year as one of the earliest in memory, with apples in southern areas starting to bloom. Dave Byers in Bedford says this is only the second time he has ever seen apples bloom in March. So is this good news or bad news? Well the answer depends a little on your viewpoint. I would say a little of both – it’s not looking as dire as it did a month ago and looking considerable better than 2012, which many recall did not end well for us. Having said that, this is still looking like an abnormally early year with the consequent risk or early development and then a late frost.
Figure 1