Spring Vocabulary (Part One)

Spring is the season after winter but before summer during which temperatures begin to warm and vegetation begins to appear. In the northern hemisphere, where the English Island is located, spring officially runs from March to May. In Georgia, however, it is not unusual to experience periods of cold weather well into March. With the warmer temperatures traditionally associated with spring finally (hopefully) around the corner, we are going to look at some important words for the season.

 

Humidity: The measure of how much moisture is in the air. While winter in Georgia tends to be quite dry, spring and especially summer can be very humid. People tend to tolerate hot humid weather less well than hot dry weather because the humidity makes the air feel thicker. Humid weather also makes it harder to stay cool because sweat does not evaporate as easily.

 

Breeze: A gentle and pleasant wind. A soft breeze can provide relief on a particularly humid day, but it can also stir up pollen, making allergies worse.

 

Shower: A light rain storm. Being in the America southeast, Georgia experiences some degree of rain pretty much year round. A spring shower in Atlanta is typically fairly warm. We don’t tend to experience cold, biting rain until the fall and winter.

 

Pollen: A fine powdery substance, typically yellow, consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower or from a male cone. Georgia receives a large amount of pollen in the spring, which, in turn, triggers allergies in many people. It is not unusual for the pollen count in Metro Atlanta to reach over 1000, which is extremely high. Dense layer of pollen can appear green, a common sight on cars throughout the Metro area.

 

Allergy: An autoimmune response by the body to a substance, such as pollen or certain foods. Allergies can range from mild to serious, with the most severe allergic reactions requiring immediate medical help. Virtually all Georgia residents experience some degree of allergic reaction to pollen, which often takes the form of a stuffy or runny nose.

 

Spring Fever: A feeling of restless and wanting to go outside and explore. Spring fever is not an actual medical condition. Rather, it is a term for the general sense of anxiousness and impatience that one feels when spring is just around the corner.

 

Spring Cleaning: An annual clearing out of closets to make space to put away winter clothes. Spring cleaning is also used more broadly to mean any occasion where the goal is to tidy up the house and get rid of anything that you do not need.