Earlier Spring
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Provided by: Climate Central|Published on: May 16, 2026
Data, Graphs, and MapsScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This resource includes maps, a video, and a brief written summary of how climate change has led to spring arriving earlier in the United States.
- The two maps included show how spring has shifted in the United States between 1981 and 2025, and local comparisons for United States cities.
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Climate Central
Region: United States
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- It is easy to toggle between different locations in the Local Start of Spring maps to easily compare data.
- The video provides helpful context and an additional entry point for students who may not be as comfortable with interpreting maps.
Prerequisites
- This resource builds on students' understanding of climate change, its causes, and its impacts.
Differentiation & Implementation
- To activate students' prior knowledge, teachers can ask students what usually indicates spring to them or how they identify that it is spring.
- Teachers can introduce students to the term phenology and explain how it relates to this topic. Teachers can also use this resource to show how data on phenological changes has been logged by citizen scientists.
- These resources can be used to support a data analysis and literacy activity, where students analyze the first Start of Spring 1981-2025 map and identify labels, write their questions, and develop an understanding of what the map says before moving on to the local map and the video.
- Students can compare different regions using the Local Start of Spring maps and hypothesize about why spring may arrive earlier in some parts of the country than in others.
Numerous sources are linked in the text, including several peer-reviewed journal articles. Data are available in both spreadsheets and an interactive map file. This resource describes an important consequence of climate change and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Climate Central
Climate Central is an independent group of scientists and communicators who research and report the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
