PHOENIX — March 1st kicks off Meteorological Spring. Technically, Spring starts later in the month, so what exactly is Meteorological Spring?
Meteorological Spring is based on the annual temperature cycle. In March, April, and May, the northern hemisphere transitions to the warmest time of the year.
Because of the leap year, spring officially starts a little earlier, on March 19 at 8:06 pm Arizona time. We call this Astronomical Spring or the Vernal Equinox; this is based on the position of the earth relative to the sun.
On the Vernal Equinox, the Earth's axis is neither tilted toward nor away from the sun. All latitudes experience nearly equal hours of day and night. The direct 90-degree sunlight will pass north of the equator. Our days will continue to get longer, and temperatures will trend warmer in the northern hemisphere.
The last day of spring is June 19, 2024.
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