When us the first day of spring

Spring officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20 with the vernal equinox as the entire world experiences an equal day and night.

For ease of recordkeeping, meteorologists and climatologists consider March 1 the first day of spring, but astronomically speaking, the Earth’s equator is aligned directly with the sun on the vernal equinox. In 2022, that occurs March 20 at 11:33 a.m. Eastern time.

Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth with respect to the sun as the planet makes its annual revolution around this closest star.

The Earth is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees off a vertical axis, and because of this tilt, the most direct sunlight is aimed at the Southern Hemisphere during our astronomical winter and at the Northern Hemisphere during our astronomical summer.

The two solstices and two equinoxes are simply precise moments in time when the sun is in direct alignment with three distinct bands of latitude.

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Their dates can vary by a day or two each year since it takes the Earth 365 days and 6 hours (365.25 days) to make one full revolution around the sun, which is why we have a leap year every four years.

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On the winter solstice in December, the sun's most direct rays are positioned over the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees south latitude). On June's summer solstice, the most direct rays of sunlight are in alignment with the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north latitude).

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On the vernal equinox in March and the autumnal equinox in September, the equator (0 degrees latitude) is aligned directly with the sun. Therefore, everywhere on Earth experiences an equal 12 hours of day and night because the sun rises due east and sets due west.

WHY SPRING SHOULD ACTUALLY BEGIN ON MARCH 1

In the summer, the sun rises in the northeastern sky and sets in the northwestern sky, providing long days and short nights. The sun reaches its highest and northernmost point in the sky at solar noon (around 1 p.m. local time due to daylight saving time) on the summer solstice. This provides the most direct solar radiation of the year, resulting in more heating of the Earth’s surface and, therefore, warmer temperatures.

In the winter, the sunrise is in the southeastern sky and the sunset is in the southwestern sky – a much shorter path across the Northern Hemisphere sky – so days are short and nights are long. The solar-noon sun angle is the lowest and farthest south in the sky on the winter solstice. This means we have the least direct solar radiation of the year on the first day of winter, resulting in colder temperatures because there’s less heating of the Earth’s surface.

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Interestingly, the Earth’s orbit around the sun is elliptical (not perfectly circular), so it’s actually closest to the sun in January (perihelion) during the Northern Hemisphere winter and farthest from the sun in July (aphelion) during the Northern Hemisphere summer.

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.

What is the official first day of spring?

It all depends on where you are. In 2022, the March equinox will occur on Sunday, March 20, at 11:33 A.M. EST. If you happen to reside in the Northern Hemisphere, this date will also mark the start of the spring season. But if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, the March equinox actually ushers in autumn and colder weather.

What's more, most meteorologists recognize March 1 as the first day of meteorological spring. Rather than basing its reasoning on the earth's rotation, this calculation system looks at annual temperature cycles to decide when spring really begins, splitting the year into three-month periods for each season.

What determines the first day spring?

In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox (or "spring equinox") determines the first day of spring—and this year, it falls on March 20.

What is the spring equinox, and why is it the first day of spring?

The equinox simply means that the length of day and night are (almost!) equal. (In fact, the word "equinox" comes from two Latin words that together mean "equal night": aequus (equal) and nox (night). After this day, this hemisphere starts tilting toward the sun, which means more daylight and warmer, springier weather. Hello, redbuds!