Have you heard the saying ‘April showers bring May flowers’? Because that saying is something that I have always remembered when entering the spring season. Although this year, it seems like we might need to make a different saying for the rollercoaster of temperatures we have seen the past few weeks. Entering April, we experienced normal 60’s-70’s spring weather, until it hit a spike of up to 90° mid-April. As of now, we are back down to the mid 50’s-60’s, and it’s impossible to keep up.

When we think about the seasons, we commonly associate spring with a gradual slide into warmer weather. This year, the spring weather has been all over the place and doesn’t seem to stay in one temperature range for very long. During those days, the ones that almost felt like summer, it was a nice refreshing time for people to go outside and be in the sun. While that was nice while it lasted, we are back to feeling fall temperatures and it is hard to even think of where we’re going from here.

There was also the practically snowless past winter we had, which was surprising and disappointing for many of us in Maryland. The complete lack of snow days was quite abnormal and even led to a shortened school year. The relentless warmth has caused a start to an early spring, which also caused multiple pollen explosions. 2023 broke the record for highest tree pollen count since 2010. This crazy rise in temperature is mainly correlated with the obvious cause of global warming. For the people who believe that it does not exist, I don’t know what else could convince them aside from the insane weather we have experienced, not just in Maryland, but everywhere. Another prime example of this wacky weather is the extreme snow blankets in California that could even be record breaking.

For those who love warm weather, this must be a blessing, but realistically it’s scary. If we continue down this path, more awful things will happen, not just hotter days. The Earth is our home and we need to treat it with respect if we wish to continue living here.