Using the dates of the astronomical equinoxes and solstices for the seasons would present a statistical problem, as these dates can vary slightly each year. 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. Weather scientists divide the year into quarters to make it easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics from one year to the next. Meteorologically speaking, the official first day of spring is March 1 (and the last is May 31). during the entire 21st century! We won’t see a March 21 equinox again until 2101. Interestingly, due to time zone differences, there isn’t a March 21 equinox in mainland U.S. The equinox happens at the same moment worldwide, although our clock times reflect a different time zone. And, as mentioned above, this date only signals spring’s beginning in the Northern Hemisphere it announces fall’s arrival in the Southern Hemisphere. We’ll explain …Īstronomically speaking, the first day of spring is marked by the spring equinox, which falls on March 19, 20, or 21 every year. The answer depends on your definition of “spring.” Both dates are accurate they’re just from different perspectives. Spring Equinox FAQs Q: Does Spring Begin on March 1 or on the Equinox?Ī: Well, both. The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night”- aequus (equal) and nox (night). On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world. Read more about the reason for the seasons. Here’s an interesting fact: Equinoxes are the only two times each year that the Sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth! While the Sun passes overhead, the tilt of the Earth is zero relative to the Sun, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun. (Note, however, that the Earth never orbits upright, but is always tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees.) →See your personalized Sun rise and set calculator. The amount of daylight each day will continue to increase until the summer solstice in June, during which the longest period of daylight occurs. On the March equinox, the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere receive roughly equal amounts of sunlight neither hemisphere is tilted more toward or away from the Sun than the other.Īlthough in most locations (the North Pole and Equator being exceptions) the amount of daylight had been increasing each day after the winter solstice, after the spring equinox, many places will experience more daylight than darkness in each 24-hour day. Imagine standing on the equator the Sun would pass directly overhead on its way north. It’s called the “celestial” equator because it’s an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere (also called the March equinox or vernal equinox across the globe) occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator going south to north. When do monkeys fall from the sky? During APE-ril showers.Winter Solstice 2023: The First Day of Winter.Does February like March? No, but April May.Why couldn’t the flower ride a bike? It lost its petals.How did the bee brush his hair? With a honeycomb.How do you know flowers are friendly? They always have new buds!.What is the shortest month of the year? M-A-Y.How do you make a waterbed bouncier? Fill it with spring water.What does winter fat turn into? Spring rolls.How excited was the gardener about spring? So excited he wet his plants.

Why was the bee mad? You’d be mad too if someone stole your honey and nectar.Spring officially started on March 20th this year, but there’s no better way to keep the seasonal advantage going than to rain down fresh jokes on your kids.

And anyone who cares at all about maintaining the timeless tradition of seasonal dad humor, will want to arm themselves with funny jokes and puns for winter, spring, and summer. And even if you live somewhere with a temperate climate and haven’t been hunkered down in a puffer jacket for months, everyone feels a sense of renewal and energy around the vernal equinox. There’s nothing better than swapping out your SAD lamp for actual sunshine once spring rolls around.

Vernal equinox meme