How you define the first day of spring depends on whether you are referring to the astronomical or meteorological spring..
Astronomical spring
Astronomical seasons refer to the position of Earth's orbit in relation to the Sun, considering equinoxes and solstices. This is due to the 23.5 degrees oftilt 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. This year, astronomical spring began on20March 2022 and ended on 21June 2022.
For upcoming years, the dates for astronomical spring will be:
| Year | Spring Starts | Spring Ends |
|---|---|---|
Spring 2023 | Monday, 20March 2023 | Wednesday, 21June 2023 |
Spring 2024 | Wednesday, 20March 2024 | Thursday, 20June 2024 |
| Spring 2025 | Thursday, 20 March 2025 | Saturday, 21 June 2025 |
Meteorological spring
Meteorological seasons are instead based on the annual temperature cycle and measure the meteorological state, as well as coinciding with the calendar to determine a clear transition between the seasons.
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 1March; ending on 31May.
The seasons are defined asspring(March, April, May),summer (June, July, August),autumn (September, October, November) andwinter(December, January, February).
