Climate change is driving spring warming in 98% of U.S. cities analyzed

Climate Central analysis reveals that human-caused climate change is the primary driver of spring warming in 98% of 241 analyzed U.S. cities between 1970 and 2025. On average, spring temperatures in these cities rose by 2.6F, with the most significant warming occurring in the Southwest, South, and Southeast. The analysis indicates that 69% of these cities had all of their spring warming explained by human-caused climate change. This trend is associated with an increase in warmer-than-normal spring days, which the report links to prolonged allergy seasons, heightened wildfire risk, and reduced snow-fed water supplies in the western U.S.

• Human-caused climate change was the primary driver of spring warming in 98% (235) of the 241 U.S. cities analyzed from 1970 to 2025, accounting for at least 50% of the observed warming in those locations.
• In 69% (167) of the analyzed cities, the entirety of the observed spring warming since 1970 is attributable to human-caused climate change.
• The frequency of warmer-than-normal spring days has increased in 99% (238) of the analyzed locations. Specifically, 84% (203) of cities now experience at least seven more warmer-than-normal spring days than they did in the early 1970s, with the largest increases in El Paso, TX (39 more days), Tampa, FL (38 more days), and Reno, NV (37 more days).
• Spring warming is linked to several environmental and health risks: it prolongs seasonal allergies, increases wildfire risk (with spring being the fastest-growing fire weather season from 1973-2024 in nearly every major U.S. region), and stresses western water supplies by contributing to earlier snowmelt.

APA

Climate Central (n.d.). Climate change is driving spring warming in 98% of U.S. cities analyzed. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2026-spring-package

Chicago

Climate Central. Climate change is driving spring warming in 98% of U.S. cities analyzed. n.d. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2026-spring-package.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Climate change is driving spring warming in 98% of U.S. cities analyzed |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2026-spring-package |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentralndclimate, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Climate change is driving spring warming in 98\% of U.S. cities analyzed}}, institution = {Climate Central}, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2026-spring-package}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }