3 April 2025

By now we’ve seen enough signs of spring that it’s fair to ask: Is Spring early or late this year?

The answer in the continental U.S. is “both.”

Yesterdays’ Spring Leaf Index Anomaly map from USA National Phenology Network (NPN) shows red, white and blue stripes from the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast as Spring stopped and started many times.

• Red = Spring is early
• White = Spring is right on time
• Blue = Spring is late.

The map is derived by tracking daily weather conditions that prompt honeysuckle to leaf out. Yes, honeysuckle is invasive but it’s so pervasive and its leaves are so early that it’s a good common indicator of spring status across the country.

Here in Pittsburgh honeysuckle leaves began to emerge on 15 March in the city …

… and were big and bushy yesterday, 2 April.

It’s fascinating to watch Spring move north this year. 1 January through 2 April 2025 are shown in this animated map.