Spring is on the way—but when exactly does it start? Well, that depends on how you look at it! 

For meteorologists, spring begins on March 1. However, many others will recognize March 20th, the spring equinox, as the official start of this year’s season. Why the difference? It all comes down to making seasonal pattern tracking easier for meteorologists. 

Meteorological spring, like all meteorological seasons, follows consistent three-month intervals, making it easier to track seasonal patterns and changes. This means that spring begins on March 1st and ends May 31st. These intervals are based on temperature changes throughout the year.  

This system makes it easier to track climate data without concerns about leap years or shifting equinox dates. Overall, it allows data to be consistent across the board.  

Astronomical spring, however, is based on the spring equinox, which varies from year to year. 

An equinox is the time of year where the sun is directly above the equator, resulting in nearly equal daylight and darkness across the globe. Equinoxes are determined by earth’s orbit around the sun.  

Since Earth’s orbit is approximately 365.24 days, leap years help account for the extra time, further shifting the equinox date. While there is no right or wrong answer on when spring begins, many people are anticipating consistently warmer weather and longer days!