Late spring

In meteorology, late spring is the final phase of spring , generally the period from the end of April to the end of May . According to other concepts, it specifically describes at the end of May / beginning of June, or as full spring in phenology, the full development in the vegetation period .

For statistical reasons, the meteorological beginning of summer is June 1st. The last third of spring passes from mid-spring around the equinox of spring to early summer . In mid-latitudes it is already characterized by warmth, but the end of spring shows a characteristic singularity in Central Europe , the ice saints (nominally 11-15 May). In the 1940s, Hermann Flohn especially had the time of the high pressure situation after the ice saints, around 15-20. May defined as early spring (abbreviated Fv). Other authors then also set a First and Second Late Spring , before and after the Ice Saints.

The phenological calendar determines the actual occurrence of the beginning of vegetation in the year. In order to be able to measure this, indicator plants and / or characteristic animal behavior are determined , which can be used to statistically determine the progression from south to north ( isochronous model ), and how far the year has progressed on site compared to others. In Europe, full spring as the phenological season usually starts at the end of February in the southwest of Portugal and about 90 days later reaches Finland, about 3,600 km away . So in Europe it moves northwards at around 40 km per day. In Central Europe it occurs around the beginning of April, and much later at higher altitudes . Full spring is characterized by:

• Blossom of cultivated apples and lilacs , later also raspberries . The pedunculate oaks shoot leaves.
• Fodder beets, potatoes and winter grain grow in the fields .

In the Chinese farmer's calendar , which has 24 subdivisions and, although it is more common in northern China, is common throughout China, full spring includes around the time of 'light clarity' (also translatable as 'shine and shine', Chinese  清明 , pinyin qīngmíng ) on 4th / 5th April about 'grain rain (grain rain)' ( 穀雨 , gǔyǔ ), 20./21. April until the beginning of summer ( 立夏 , lìxià ) with 5./6. May. Guyu is the time to sow grain . The fact that summer begins at the beginning of May shows the different climate of the (Han) Chinese cultural area: It is more continental than Europe, and the heat sets in earlier.

literature

• Peter Bissolli, Christian-Dietrich Schoenwiese: Calendar -related weather phenomena in a new light. In: Naturwissenschaftliche Rundschau , 44 (1991) 5, ISSN 0028-1050, pp. 169-175

Individual evidence

1. ↑ H. Flohn, P. Hess: Large weather singularities in the annual weather pattern of Central Europe (= statistical-synoptic investigations 2). In: Meteorological and Hydrological Service of the German Democratic Republic: Meteorologische Rundschau 2, 1949, pp. 258–263.
2. ↑ Vollfrühling , ZAMG: Phenology
3. ↑ The new word: Winter solstice ( Memento of the original from January 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The  archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: East Asia Institute, University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen am Rhein: Kaleidoskop , December 21, 2011