Key Facts about: Climate Change
Length of the thermal growing season: 1772-2006
England
|
Number of days |
|||||
|
average
1961-1990 |
2000 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|
| Growing season |
252 |
330 |
270 |
247 |
269 |
The growing season is the period of time each year during which plants can grow. The thermal growing season length is defined as beginning when the temperature on five consecutive days exceeds 5°C and ending when the temperature on five consecutive days is below that threshold.
The increase in growing season length since 1980 is largely due to the earlier onset of spring. The earliest start of the thermal growing season was in 2002 when it began on 13 January. The longest growing season in the 233-year series was 330 days, in 2000. The shortest growing season was 181 days in 1782. 2006 was 269 days, above the 1961-1991 average of 252 days.
The smoothed line gives an indication of the trend but there is greater uncertainty for the first and last decade of the series.
- Source:
- Met Office, Mitchell, T. D., Hulme, M., 2002: Length of the growing season. Weather 57: pp196-198
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Page last modified: 6 November 2007
Page published: 7 September 2005