Technically, spring in the Northern Hemisphere begins on the March 20
vernal (spring) equinox. But does it really?
The term equinox means equal night – that is, the day and the night are equally
12 hours. In reality, the equinox is not always on March 20, but it varies from
year to year between March 19-21. It is typically the changing of the seasons
between winter and spring in the Northern Hemisphere and between summer and
autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
However the date of March 20 as the first ‘official’ day of spring is not
universally agreed. Meteorologically, spring is defined by annual temperature
cycles and therefore begins on March 1.
Today, March 20 the maximum is forecast to be 7C (45F) with a little rain and the minimum is forecast at minus 2C (28F). Not quite spring!
MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:-
The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends
(2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan
Curse (2009).
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