Well, technically Spring beings at 6:45pm EDT, so Friday is the last DAY
of WINTER here in the Northeast, and we have snow ushering in the
Equinox in the late afternoon, but by Saturday, it will be above
freezing again. Once I see Crocuses and purple Squill (the ground is
still covered with snow at the moment) then it will really feel like
Spring has arrived. -PB
First Day of Spring 2015: Vernal Equinox
| Farmer's Almanac
When does spring 2015 begin? On this page, get informed about the vernal equinox, spring weather—and a solar eclipse!
- Astronomically speaking, the March equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator on its way north along the ecliptic. In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox is known as the vernal, or spring, equinox, and marks the start of the spring season.
In the Southern Hemisphere, this equinox is known as the autumnal, or fall, equinox and marks the start of the fall season; the vernal equinox for the Southern Hemisphere occurs in September.
The March equinox happens at the same moment across the world but is converted to local time. In 2015, it falls on March 20 at 6:45 P.M. EDT, 5:45 P.M. CDT, 4:45 P.M. MDT, and 3:45 P.M. PDT, for example.
- Meteorologically speaking, however, in the Northern Hemisphere the official spring season always begins on March 1 and continues through May 31. Summer begins on June 1; autumn, September 1; and winter, December 1.
Weather scientists divide the year into quarters this way to make it easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics from one year to the next. The meteorological seasons are based on annual temperature cycles rather than on the position of Earth in relation to the Sun, and they more closely follow the Gregorian calendar. Using the dates of the astronomical equinoxes and solstices for the seasons would present a statistical problem because these dates can vary slightly each year.
Spring 2015 Weather Forecast
Ah, spring! Ready for some warmer temperatures?! See the Almanac's spring 2015 forecast summary.
The Vernal Equinox
The word equinox is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal night.” All over the world, days and nights are approximately equal. Today, the Sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west.
At the equinoxes, the tilt of Earth relative to the Sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun. (However, the tilt of Earth relative to its plane of orbit, called the ecliptic plane, is always about 23.5 degrees.)
Enjoy the increasing daylight! See how your day "grows" with our personalized Sun rise and set calculator.
A Total Solar Eclipse
This year there is a total eclipse
of the Sun on the day of the Vernal Equinox! This is quite rare; the next time this happens is 2034. The total solar eclipse occurs over the Faroe Islands, off Scotland; the path of totality then marches directly to—and stops at—the North Pole. See our 2015 eclipse page.In addition, on March 20, we have a second celestial event: a Supermoon! In our Sky, the Moon, which was at perigee less than 24 hours prior, turns into a "New Moon" on the 20th. It is not visible; however, it has a larger-than-average effect on Earth’s oceans. See our Moon phase calendar.
Equinox Facts
Question: Why doesn’t the vernal equinox (equal night) on March 20 have the same number of hours for day and night?Answer: Our former astronomer, George Greenstein, had this to say: "There are two reasons. First, light rays from the Sun are bent by the Earth's atmosphere. (This is why the Sun appears squashed when it sets.) They are bent in such a way that we are actually able to see the Sun before it rises and after it sets. The second reason is that daytime begins the moment any part of the Sun is over the horizon, and it is not over until the last part of the Sun has set. If the Sun were to shrink to a starlike point and we lived in a world without air, the spring and fall equinoxes would truly have ‘equal nights.’”
View the reason for the seasons and why the seasons change.
Equinox Folklore
Question: According to folklore, you can stand a raw egg on its end on the equinox. Is this true?
Answer: One spring, a few minutes before the vernal equinox, several Almanac editors tried this trick. For a full workday, 17 out of 24 eggs stood standing. Three days later, we tried this trick again and found similar results. Perhaps 3 days after the equinox was still too near. Try this yourself and let us know what happens!
Spring Verse
One swallow does not make a spring.Bluebirds are a sign of spring; warm weather and gentle south breezes they bring.
In spring, no one thinks of the snow that fell last year.
Don’t say that spring has come until you can put your foot on nine daisies.
Spring-time sweet!
The whole Earth smiles, thy coming to greet.
Signs of Spring
The vernal equinox signals the beginning of nature’s renewal in the
Northern Hemisphere. Worms begin to emerge from the earth, ladybugs land
on screen doors, green buds appear, birds chirp, and flowers begin to
bloom. You can track when the seasons change by observing (and recording) the plants and animals around you.
How do you know that spring is coming? Share your comment below!
Seasons of 2015:
SPRING EQUINOX: March 20, 6:45 P.M. EDT
SUMMER SOLSTICE: June 21, 12:38 P.M. EDT
FALL EQUINOX: September 23, 4:21 A.M. EDT
WINTER SOLSTICE: December 21, 11:48 P.M. EST
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