Today was the Vernal equinox -- the arrival of astronomical spring -- in Northern hemisphere, at least. <smile> This year is the earliest equinox since the late 19th century. Reasons for this involve the extra day in February this year and the rules about when leap years occur and when they don't. It gets rather murky but there are some great places online to explain it all. <smile> To add to the confusion and mathematical aspects of the day, meteorological spring began on the first of the month. Meteorologists have adopted standard three month periods from the Gregorian calendar. These allow for the comparison of weather patterns and statistics over time given the same number of days in each seasonal quarter. Astronomical spring takes into account the solar year -- the actual time it takes the earth to orbit the sun, which is longer than 365 days -- hence the leap year helps to correct for this longer time.
Weather today felt spring-like. Skies were mainly cloudy -- large rain-like clouds with occasional bright sunshine breaks. Temperatures were single digits above freezing but the westerly wind made it feel cooler. In mid=afternoon, when I was headed to an appointment, there was snow in the air that turned to rain as I made my way into town. The dampness made the air feel even cooler.
Despite the convoluted nature of the date and the seasonal change, many more signs of spring will appear. It is a season of transition, so keep an eye out for the daily newness. Keep safe. Enjoy!
The Lullaby of Spring -- Donavan
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