You may look around campus and see it coming to life. The warming temperatures, the blooming foliage and the sun finally shining can only indicate one thing: spring is coming to Moscow.
It’s like the campus community has defrosted with the snow and is out enjoying the sun and warmth.
But is spring really here? Or is this the phenomenon we have come to know as “false spring”?
False spring is typically described as warmer temperatures during late winter or early spring that are usually short lived.
Even though spring is only a few weeks away, an article by KTVB7 reported on false spring in Idaho and the effects it has. Due to a warmer winter with a limited amount of snow, plants have begun to bloom early.
Colin Lyman, the Idaho Botanical Garden’s director of horticulture talked about this issue.
“The plant gets excited about springtime and starts to then put energy into producing flowers or growing their buds,” said Lyman.
The article also reported on how if plants bloom too early and are followed by another frost or snow, they could fall off.
While false spring frequently occurs in the PNW, this winter was different. There were no huge snowstorms, or particularly freezing temperatures. Students could mainly leave their coats and boots in their room after returning from winter break.
Students can look ahead on any weather app, but if we have learned anything from this past season, it’s that it can hardly be trusted.
Whether spring decides to show its head, or winter makes a comeback, you can still catch students enjoying the sun and warmth for as long as they can before cloudy skies return to Moscow.
Andrea Roberts can be reached at [email protected].