The Bay Area has been basking in the blue skies and record high temperatures typical of a “false spring” this week — it was 79 degrees Fahrenheit at the Oakland Museum on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service — and the trend is expected to last through the weekend before temperatures dip back down into the 60s.
Phenology is the study of seasonal events, and according to researchers, false spring events that trick plants and animals out of dormancy early are becoming more common. You can track “first leaf and first bloom” indices of these early season events in plants across the country, based on recent temperature conditions, at the National Phenology Network’s “Status of Spring” site HERE.
The lack of rain in the forecast continues to concern, but for the moment we can delight in the first blooms around town.
