As we enter March, it's natural to eagerly anticipate the end of chilly, dark, winter days and look forward to the arrival of spring. The days are already stretching out, with sunset now after 6pm in some parts of the UK.
Indeed, by the end of this month, the clocks will spring forward an hour, signalling the true arrival of brighter - and hopefully warmer - days. But when does spring officially begin?
According to one definition, it starts on Saturday, March 1, if you follow the meteorological seasons.
This is perhaps the simplest way to define the seasons, as explained by the Met Office. It's based on the annual temperature cycle and aligns with the calendar to clearly mark the transition between seasons.
The Met Office states: "The meteorological seasons consist of splitting the seasons into four periods made up of three months each. These seasons are split to coincide with our Gregorian calendar, making it easier for meteorological observing and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics.
"By the meteorological calendar, spring will always start on March 1; ending on May 31. The seasons are defined as spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), autumn (September, October, November) and winter (December, January, February)."
However, there is another method of determining the seasons - astronomical seasons. These are based on the position of Earth's orbit in relation to the Sun, taking into account equinoxes and solstices.
The Met Office explains the shifting seasons: "This is due to the 23.5 degrees of tilt of the Earth's rotational axis concerning its orbit around the Sun. Since the seasons vary in length, the start date of a new season can fall on different days each year."
It explained that in 2022 spring lasted from March 20 to June 21 and it was the same in 2023. However, in 2024, spring commenced on March 20, but concluded a day earlier on June 20.
For 2025, it said astronomical spring will start on Thursday, March 20, and wrap up on Saturday, June 21.
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