Weather phenomenon: spring came after autumn

16 December, 2007, 09:14

Spring has arrived early in Russia's most westerly region. Flowers in Kaliningrad's Botanic Garden are in full blossom. Residents who were expecting winter weather are making the most of the sudden blooms before the expected frost strikes.

It is the first time in the botanic garden's 300-year history that flowers have bloomed in winter

“You can see some of the blossoms are still closed. Well, we'll have to look into climate anomalies. This is so untypical of the region,” Ekaterina Gorelikova, graden staffer, said.

The reason behind the phenomenon is a warm current, unusual at this time of year in Russia’s Western exclave. Night and day temperatures are well above zero.

According to weather men, last spring was so long and cold,  the plants got confused.

“If tomorrow the temperature drops to minus 20 and there's no snow, the plants will die. But if they are covered with snow or something they will survive,” Valentina Akimova, from Children’s Environment Protection Centre, said.

But it is impossible to cover all garden and save them. Visitors are turning out to enjoy the spectacle of sudden spring, and some want to take home a bunch or two.

But staff are refusing to cut them and they'll be on show until nature decides otherwise.