Welcome to Meteorological Spring

It may sound laughable, what with many of you still reeling from the effects of the most recent snowicane in what has seemed an unending barrage of major snow events, but March 1 (not to be confused with the Ides of March which is March 15th) is the beginning of Spring, or so say the meteorologists.

Sticklers for astronomical detail (as well as those who are continuing to shovel out) may scoff and protest the very notion. And it is true: the axial tilt of the Earth in relation to the sun will require waiting another three weeks for the mid-day rays of the sun to be directly over the equator, which for 2010 will occur on March 20 at 5:32 pm Coordinated Universal Time.

But meteorologists mark the seasonal boundaries with observed patterns in changes in temperature and precipitation, and for many parts of the world (particularly those in mid-latitude locations), the beginning of March represents a typically clear shift in overall conditions.

February, in spite of being the shortest month, is known to be one of the cruelest and nastiest in terms of stormy weather as Weather Underground points out, so the beginning of March marks a distinct change weather-wise, and offers our spirits a boost as well. No matter how you mark the seasonal change, spring is at our doorstep, and sunnier and warmer days are just around the corner.

Photo by Kinderash via Flickr.