"I ... would like to remind people that in 1918 the Spanish flu showed a surge in the spring, and then disappeared in the summer months, only to return in the autumn of 1918 with a vengeance, " Hartl said.

CNN: Confirmed cases of H1N1 virus approach 900

We had the surge from 2009 to spring 2010.

FORBES: 2012 Outlook: Economic Slowdown Could Pinch Demand For Some Commodities

Those perceptions contributed to several stinging regional election losses for the Christian Democratic Union this spring, and have led to a surge in clout for the opposition Green Party.

WSJ: Germany to Forsake Its Nuclear Reactors

Typically there is a surge of new listings in the spring.

WSJ: Property Slips in Manhattan

With the oil price bouncing back up again, nearly a third since spring, and with global food prices showing alarming signs of a surge, the news from SSE's Perth headquarters will not be welcome among those wrestling with Britain's economic woes.

BBC: SSE's energetic counter-attack

And when Petraeus and Crocker last testified in September, Petraeus said he would be hard-pressed to recommend maintaining the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq past this spring if conditions in the country did not improve in the interim.

CNN: Officials: Petraeus unlikely to recommend troop cuts

The flooding, which began on the night of 31 January, was caused by a combination of a high spring tide, deep atmospheric low pressure which raised sea levels and exceptionally strong northerly gales, which led to a surge of sea water over coastal defences.

BBC: Flooded street in King's Lynn