In the northern hemisphere, including the UK, spring is typically considered to be the months of March, April and May and for many (including meteorologists) this means spring begins on March 1.
But many others consider the vernal equinox to be the true start of spring, and the changing of the seasons.
There are two Equinoxes in a calendar year, the days when the length of day and night are equal. It is the only time when the Northern and Southern hemispheres experience roughly equal amounts of daylight.
The word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).
The first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere is marked on the Vernal Equinox which is Sunday, March 20 in 2022.
The precise moment of the March equinox was 07.33 GMT.
The summer solstice is typically around June 21 – at which point spring ends - and the winter solstice happens on or around December 22.
The first day of spring 2023 will be March 20 once again.
However meteorologists disagree, and treat spring as the same three months each year: March, April and May. For weather experts, spring always begins on March 1.
The Met Office says: “Meteorological seasons are instead based on the annual temperature cycle and measure the meteorological state, as well as coinciding with the calendar to determine a clear transition between the seasons.
“The meteorological seasons consist of splitting the seasons into four periods made up of three months each. These seasons are split to coincide with our Gregorian calendar, making it easier for meteorological observing and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics.
"By the meteorological calendar, spring will always start on 1 March; ending on 31 May.”
Autumn begins with the Autumn Equinox which will take place on September 23 this year.
Meteorologists, however, will treat September 1 as the first day of the season from a weather point of view.
In the UK, clocks change twice each year: springing forward and falling back with the seasons.
In spring, the clocks go forwards to mark the start of British Summer Time at 1am on the final Sunday of March.
Ah, springtime—the return of warm weather, beautiful spring flowers, and picnics galore. For Ree Drummond, the most memorable sign of spring's return is the blooming of her beloved redbud trees. "If you love purple, the short time when Oklahoma Redbuds are blooming is like being in a dream," she says.
But dreamy as they are, seeing a few purple flowers out the window doesn't necessarily herald the official start of spring. And last year's "official date" doesn't seem to help much, either.
So...when is the first day of spring in 2022? And what's the official, scientific, by-the-book method for determining that date?
To answer both of these age-old questions, you'll need to take a quick meteorological lesson. We're here to simplify, educate, and enlighten—and get you out the door in time to plan your spring decorating, as well as your plans for Easter and Mother's Day in the season beyond.
Shannen ZitzFreelance Editorial Assistant
Shannen Zitz is a Freelance Editorial Assistant at Prevention who recently graduated from the State University of New York at Cortland with an English degree. She loves all things fashion, beauty, and wellness. If she’s not reading or writing, you can probably find her frequenting the skincare and makeup forums on Reddit.