Chicago is nearing the end of what will likely be the city's warmest winter in 92 years, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise to see the tulips on Michigan Avenue sprouting already.
NBC 5 photographer George Mycyk captured photos of the iconic spring-like sight Wednesday when temperatures soared into the 60s.
Typically tulips begin to emerge in late March, but our average high this month so far is 46.5 degrees, the second-highest on record for February.
Tulips are still resilient to frost and cold temperatures in its early stages, but if we continue to stay warm and they grow quickly, a March or April frost could be damaging. Colder temperatures and even a layer of snow would be a good thing to slow down the growing process.
We’ll have colder days Friday and Saturday, but another big warmup should bring temperatures back into the 60s again Monday and Tuesday.
Obviously we are still months from planting season, but it’s never too early to start planning for spring planting.
Here are the 30-year average last freeze dates:
Local
Chicago: April 21
Kankakee: April 22
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Dekalb: April 23
Rockford: April 27
Elgin: April 28
The latest last freeze on record in Chicago is May 25, which happened in 1992.
