Charted: Rising spring temperatures
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The average spring temperature in Dallas-Fort Worth has increased nearly 4 degrees since 1970, per a recent Climate Central analysis.
Why it matters: Seasonal climate change discussions often focus on summer and winter, when temperatures are typically at their annual high and low extremes.
- But the "between seasons" are affected too, report Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng.
What they found: Average springtime temperatures warmed by 2.2°F from 1970 to 2023 across nearly 230 U.S. cities analyzed by Climate Central. The group's analysis is based on NOAA data and looks at meteorological spring, which begins March 1 and ends May 31.
- Spring has gotten notably warmer in the American Southwest, where average seasonal temperatures have risen by more than 6 degrees in some places.
Zoom in: In D-FW, the average springtime temperature was about 63 in 1970. It was 67 last year.
- El Paso saw an increase of 6.3 degrees. Muggy Houston's springtime average rose 4.7 degrees.
The bottom line: Warmer springtime temperatures can lead to longer allergy seasons and changes in agricultural growing times.