Less snow, more insects: Concerns over spring weather arriving earlier

Spring leaves are showing several days earlier than usual this year, according to the National Phenology Network.

That's no shocker since this January was the third-warmest January on record since 1945. Raleigh's average temperatures was 49.5 degrees, 7.6 degrees warmer than normal.

Based on annual daily minimum temperatures, there were fewer nights below freezing. In Raleigh and Durham, that number is on average 23 fewer nights from 1970 to 2022.

Having milder temperatures in the winter will increase the odds of more disease-carrying insects, less snow for irrigation and early blooms and pollen.

The article states, "parts of the Southeast are seeing either the earliest spring on record or a spring that only occurs once every 40 years."