Spring has Sprung

This weekend Finland switched to daylight savings time. Now the sunrise occurs at 7:06 a.m. and sets at 7:48 p.m., making the day 12:42 long.

Temperatures reached 15 deg C (59 deg F), the warmest day of the year. Also, record temperatures for this time, according to Jari Tuovinen, a forecaster at FMI. See this diurnal cycle, which we started the day nearly at freezing. Also, see this map of the observed temperatures at 6 p.m. Nice and warm across the country.

At the Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station last week, we learned that photosynthesis started a month early this year, likely a record start time for the beginning of spring, as determined by the bud burst time for the pine trees. Another sign consistent with the global warming signal. Recall this post from earlier this year about the delayed onset of winter across the Northern Hemisphere.