Spring in Houston is getting hotter

The spring temperature in Houston has increased by an average of 3.8 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 highs and lows.

• But the "between seasons" are affected too, report Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng .

What they found: Average springtime temperatures warmed by 2.2 degrees from 1970 to 2023 across nearly 230 U.S. cities analyzed by Climate Central , a nonprofit science and communications organization. The group's analysis is based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data and looks at meteorological spring, which begins March 1 and ends May 31.

• Spring has gotten notably warmer in the Southwest, where average seasonal temperatures have risen by more than 6 degrees in some places.

Zoom in: In Houston, the average springtime temperature was about 66 in 1970. It was 71 last year.

The bottom line: Warmer springtime temperatures can lead to longer allergy seasons and changes in agricultural growing times.

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