On the night of March 19, 2024, the Vernal Equinox occurred at 11:06 p.m., bringing in the official start to spring.
What You Need To Know
- Daylight is the same across the earth on the equinox
- Spring occurs between the Vernal Equinox and Summer Solstice
- Average temperatures increase steadily
The equinox occurs when the earth's axis is not tilted toward or away from the sun.
This happens twice a year, in March and September.
On the equinox day, everyone across the planet sees a little over 12 hours of daylight.
In March, the Vernal Equinox signifies the official start of spring.
In the northern hemisphere, days will continue to get longer and the sun angle will continue to get higher in the sky as the tilt gradually moves more toward the sun each day.
The tilt of the earth's axis is what determines the seasons and explains why the southern hemisphere is always in the opposite season of the northern hemisphere.
Of course, temperatures have already been warming up into the month of March.
In fact, in terms of temperature, spring is better defined by the period of March 1st to May 31st.
This period is what meteorologists and climatologists define as spring.
Here in Tampa, average highs warm from the upper 70s in March to the upper 80s by May.
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