Why Bostonians Never Trust Warm Weather Until Summer Practically Arrives
Every year, New England residents experience the same emotional roller coaster. One week, people are bundled in winter coats, scraping ice off windshields. Next, temperatures suddenly climb into the 60s, patios fill up, and everyone starts dreaming about spring. Then, almost like clockwork, cold winds and snow return to remind everyone that winter is not finished yet.
In 2025, NBC10 Boston meteorologist Tevin Wooten sparked a conversation many New Englanders know all too well: false spring.
False spring is that teasing stretch of warm weather that arrives far too early, convincing people that winter has ended when it absolutely has not. According to Weather.com, it is “an unseasonably warm stretch in late winter or early spring that tricks plants, animals, and even people into thinking winter is over—only for the cold to come roaring back.”
To settle the debate once and for all, Wooten asked his NBC10 colleagues a simple question: When does spring actually begin?
The answers were peak New England.
“I would say false spring happens maybe in like February,” said NBC10 Boston news anchor Latoyia Edwards. “They sucker us with like a day or two, but the real spring actually starts June 1st, in my opinion.”
That comment immediately resonated with longtime Northeastern residents who know that March can still bring blizzards and April can feel more like late winter than springtime.
Meanwhile, NBC10 Boston news anchor Jeff Saperstone offered another classic regional answer.
“Spring starts Memorial Day,” he said.
Others on the team tied the beginning of spring to very specific seasonal milestones. Some said Daylight Saving Time marks the turning point. Others pointed to Marathon Monday in Boston, while baseball fans claimed spring officially arrives when Major League Baseball returns.
The discussion quickly spread online because everyone seems to have their own deeply personal definition of spring. For some, it is the first backyard barbecue. For others, it is when winter jackets finally stay in the closet for more than three consecutive days.
On TikTok, viewers related strongly to the conversation. Many commenters joked that New England has at least “12 seasons,” including “mud season,” “second winter,” and “pollen apocalypse.” Others agreed that trusting February warmth is always a mistake.
One user commented that New England weather is basically “winter with occasional previews of happiness.”
Another joked, “If you put your snow shovel away before April, you’re tempting fate.”
Wooten summed up the regional mindset perfectly in his TikTok caption:
“Ask a New Englander when spring starts, and you’re guaranteed to get a different answer!”
The truth is, false spring is not just a weather event. It has become part of New England culture. Residents celebrate every tiny hint of warmth, knowing better than to believe it fully. The emotional whiplash has practically become a seasonal tradition.
And honestly, maybe that is part of the charm.
After months of gray skies and freezing temperatures, even a brief sunny afternoon feels worth celebrating — even if snow returns three days later.
So when does spring officially start?
In New England, apparently, everyone has their own answer.
Source:
- https://youtube.com/shorts/WEwUQmB-BeU?si=frTtkKuFXBs71CmM
- https://www.boston.com/community/tell-us/2025/03/14/when-does-spring-begin-for-you-in-boston/
- https://www.thebostoncalendar.com/events/10-places-to-see-spring-flowers-around-boston-in-2022
- https://chatgpt.com/
- https://aistudio.google.com/
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