Despite months of cold weather and frigid Ohio temperatures, the March equinox marks the official astronomical start of spring, and it’s finally upon us.
Spring officially arrives today. Here’s the exact time it happens.
What time does spring start on March 20, 2026?
Spring officially begins at 10:46 a.m. ET on Friday, March 20, 2026, with the arrival of the vernal equinox (spring equinox). The equinox marks the moment the sun shines directly over Earth’s equator.
Is the first day of spring always on March 20?
Not always.
Astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere begins with the spring equinox, which can fall on March 19, 20 or 21, according to the Des Moines Register.
Meteorological spring runs from March 1 through May 31, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The almanac adds that weather scientists divide the year into quarters to make it easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics year-over-year.
What is an equinox? Is it different from a solstice?
Yes. An equinox happens when day and night are nearly equal in length, typically in March and September. According to NASA, an equinox occurs when the sun’s path crosses directly over Earth’s equator.
This differs from a summer or winter solstice, when the sun is farthest north or south of the equator, creating the longest and shortest days of the year.
In March, the Northern Hemisphere observers will begin to see longer, warmer days from the vernal, or spring, equinox through the summer solstice, but Southern Hemisphere observers will experience shorter days and longer nights from their autumnal, or fall, equinox, NASA adds.
How is meteorological spring different from seasonal spring?
Astronomical seasons are dictated by Earth’s orbiting position around the sun. Meteorological seasons are dictated by the Earth’s temperatures, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
The tilt of the Earth and the sun’s alignment over the equator dictate the equinoxes and solstices. The Earth tilts approximately 23.5 degrees on its axis, according to National Geographic. Because of this tilt, there are times half of our planet tilts toward the sun, and the other tilts away, according to NCEI.
The Earth’s elliptical orbit brings our planet closer to or farther from the sun, depending on where the planet is in its 365.24-day cycle. These factors determine when the astronomical seasons fall. Each season varies in length from 89 to 93 days. Because of these variations in length, meteorological seasons were created.
So, meteorological spring started on March 1, while astronomical spring starts on March 20, the day of the spring equinox, according to AccuWeather.
Can you really balance an egg on the spring equinox?
The claim that eggs can only be balanced upright on the spring equinox due to a special alignment of the sun, moon and Earth is just that — a claim. Balancing an egg on its end on the equinox is not any easier than on any other day according to USA TODAY.
Scholastic notes there’s no special gravitational change during the equinox, and that balancing an egg takes patience and the right egg, such as an egg with a yolk centered in the shell.
Spring equinox rituals celebrated around the world
Cultures around the world celebrate the spring equinox in different ways, according to History.com:
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Today is the first day of spring. Exact equinox time, myths, rituals
Reporting by Alex Perry and Mariyam Muhammad, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
