Above: Increased spring temperatures mean earlier blossoms for species like this cherry tree. Credit: Ali Dickson | KUNR.
This story was shared with permission from KUNR Public Radio. For an audio version of the story, please visit the KUNR website.
The average springtime temperature in Reno increased 6.8 degrees between 1970 and 2024. Nationally, it increased 2.4 degrees, according to a report by the nonprofit Climate Central. Reno’s increase was the fastest of the 241 cities analyzed.
Reno also saw 36 more spring days compared to 1991, making it the third-largest increase.
Kaitlyn Trudeau, senior research associate for climate science at Climate Central, said these findings can create mixed emotions.
“A lot of people can think, ‘Oh, it’s getting warmer earlier. It’s great, we can go outside.’ Maybe people like to garden or stuff, so we might initially think of all the good things, but there’s actually a lot of bad things that come along with it.”
These “bad things” include uncertain growing seasons for farmers, higher wildfire risk and more stress on water supplies. Trudeau said longer springs also mean more pesky species.
“The warmer springs can also increase the prevalence of disease-carrying pests like mosquitos, and it can promote the spread of invasive species like cheatgrass.”
Trudeau said there is one common factor pushing this warming season: people.
“Reno’s also undergone a huge growth in population since 1970, and there’s been a lot of development, so part of [this temperature increase] is urban heat, but climate change is exacerbating all of these things.”
Reno is not alone when it comes to increased temperatures in Nevada. Las Vegas saw the third-fastest warming spring with an increase of 6.1 degrees.
Ali Dickson is the 2025 spring intern for KUNR and the Hitchcock Project for Visualizing Science. She is a student in the master’s program at the Reynolds School of Journalism.
