First day of spring: The difference between meteorological and astronomical spring
AccuWeather forecasters explain the difference and why meteorological spring is important.
Most people are familiar with the astronomical version of spring that begins during the vernal equinox. Have you heard of meteorological spring? Meteorologists prefer this; let’s learn why.
March often offers widely varying temperatures across the United States. One day, there might be record-breaking warmth; the next, a storm or a blizzard could strike. Meteorologists consider this fluctuation a part of meteorological spring, which begins March 1.
The spring season associated with the vernal equinox, called astronomical spring, occurs on or around March 20 in the Northern Hemisphere, but meteorologists recognize March 1 as the first day of meteorological spring, which is based on annual temperature cycles and the Gregorian calendar.
In 2024, astronomical spring starts on Tuesday, March 19 at 11:06 p.m. EDT, the earliest in March the equinox has occurred since 1896.
A bed of tulips are lit up by the sun at the Public Garden in Boston, Thursday, May 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Leap years and the elliptical shape of that orbit around the sun affect when the astronomical seasons, or summer-winter solstices and vernal-autumnal equinoxes, occur.
According to National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the meteorological seasons were created because traditional seasons varied in length from 89 to 93 days and it was difficult for experts to compare statistics from one year to another.
Meteorological spring is considered to encompass the months of March, April and May. The other meteorological seasons each also consist of three consecutive months:
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Meteorological winter comprises December, January, February.
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Meteorological summer comprises June, July, August.
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Meteorological fall comprises September, October, November.
The month of March is associated with a variety of folklore, including the famous proverb, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” It’s one of many proverbs from years gone by that attempt to predict the weather.
And there’s a legend of balancing raw eggs on their ends only on the first day of spring (the vernal equinox) because of the position of the Earth’s axis and a perceived change in gravity. But as tedious as it might be to prop a raw egg on a table and not have it fall – it’s a myth and can be done any day of the year on a flat surface.
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