(WFRV) – Almost everyone has heard the saying, “April Showers bring May Flowers”. Where was this saying started? And is there any truth to it?

The saying can be traced back to England from the 1500s poet Thomas Tusser. Back then, he wrote “Sweet April showers do spring May Flowers”.

In England, the month of April brings huge weather swings with the jet stream lifting northward at the start of spring. The saying itself has only grown being used in other types of writing and movies.

In the U.S the jet stream also moves northward in the spring. As winter comes to an end, precipitation falls more as rain instead of snow. Historically Green Bay goes from averaging just over 8 inches of snow in March to under 3 inches in April.

Since March is more of a harsh month in terms of snow and temperatures for us in Northeast Wisconsin, the saying is true as many flowers bloom in the month of May from April’s showers and warmth.

April is not even the wettest month of the year in Green Bay and much of the Midwest which shows the importance of added daylight and warming weather. The famous quote does not hold true for everyone.

Places in the southern United States have warmer air and longer daylight in the spring than us in Northeast Wisconsin.

Add that in with more rain in March the saying in the south is more like “March showers bring April Flowers”.  

Just look at the beautiful flowers seen at the annual Master’s Golf Tournament in Georgia held in April as a sign for earlier blooming in the south.

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