ENID, OK - March 19, 2024 is the first day of Spring and it begins at 10:06pm CST. Wednesday is the day when the sunrise will blind you if you're driving east because the sun is rising exactly due east. The sun will follow the earth's equator today and will set due west this evening.
Today is called the spring or vernal equinox which also means we are in a short period where there will be almost exactly as much daylight as darkness. The daylight will now start to outlast the darkness as the days get longer through the summer in the northern hemisphere. The sun will appear directly overhead along Earth’s equator, at zero degrees latitude which makes today the official equinox.
Just because we call today the first day of Spring, it is not an official term or start for anything. Weather forecasters usually begin their spring season on March 1. And the vernal equinox does not always land on March 20, it can occur anywhere from March 19 to March 21.
On the other side of the world, in the southern hemisphere, it is now time for their autumn equinox. The term equinox is Latin for "equal night." And although we think of Spring as being warm, the spring equinox is typically colder than the fall equinox in September by few degrees.
Here are a few fun facts about Spring:
The first day of spring, the vernal equinox, has 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.The term vernal is Latin for “spring” and equinox is Latin for “equal night“.
The first spring flowers are typically lilacs, irises, lilies, tulips, daffodils, and dandelions.
According to the National Association of Realtors, spring is the most popular season to sell/buy a house.
Children actually grow faster in the spring than during other times of the year.
The early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising sun on the spring equinox.
Studies show that suicide rates peak during the late spring and not during the holidays, as is commonly believed.
Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.
Thank you for something cheerful!