Dreaming about spring? Here’s when it will start

The winter season has barely started, but we’re willing to bet the chilly weather has you dreaming of spring.

This year has been full of what some call “weather weirding,” or wild shifts in weather conditions like swings from rainfall to drought. Warmer temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more water and exacerbate precipitation events like rain or snow.

But some experts told USA TODAY we might not see much snow because we’re in El Niño, a warm phase, with heavier cold and snow periods not occurring until sometime this month.

When is the first day of spring?

In the Northern Hemisphere, the first day of spring will be on March 19. The first day of spring also marks the vernal equinox.

What is the vernal equinox?

There are two equinoxes and two solstices every year that dictate the seasons. The vernal equinox is when we see a change from winter to spring, and the autumnal equinox is when summer changes to fall in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinoxes have opposite dates in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres – the March vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is the autumnal equinox in the Southern, and vice versa.

According to National Geographic, equinoxes are when the Earth’s sub-solar point (where the sun’s rays shine perpendicular to the Earth’s surface) passes through its Equator.

During an equinox, the center of the sun’s disk is in the same plane as the Equator. After the vernal equinox, the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun, until the June solstice, when it migrates south.

What are 2024’s spring months?

Spring lasts from the end of March until the summer solstice mid-June.

Will spring come early in 2024?

Famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil forecast a longer winter when he saw his shadow last Groundhog Day, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there’s “no predictive skill” for Phil. The groundhog has only gotten it right about 40% of the time.

Groundhog Day is an American tradition dating to 1887 and has origins in the European celebration of Candlemas, the midway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox.

According to NOAA’s seasonal temperature outlook, the northernmost states will see above-normal temperatures in February, March and April, especially in New England and the Pacific Northwest. Most of Texas will see below-average temperatures. Warm-weather predictions are in part due to El Niño, a natural climate pattern that sends temperatures soaring.

The jury’s still out on whether Phil will predict an early spring as well.

Start dates for the 4 seasons

● First day of spring: March 19

● First day of summer: June 20

● First day of fall: Sept. 22

● First day of winter: Dec. 21