These frigid temperatures have many of us dreaming of spring, but we still have a ways to go before we thaw out.
Tennesseans have experienced a bitterly cold streak of winter weather this week with temperatures dipping down into the teens and single digits at night, along with wind that made it feel colder than it actually was not to mention the winter storm that blew through the state earlier this month. That much cold weather will have anyone hoping for warmer temperatures sooner rather than later.
But alas, we still have almost two whole months before we get to say it is spring and put winter behind us.
When is the first day of spring 2025?
The first day of spring is Thursday, March 20, starting at 5:01 a.m. ET/4:01 a.m. CT, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
When is the last day of winter 2025?
The last day of winter in the United States is Wednesday, March 19, the day before the first day of spring.
What is the vernal, spring equinox?
Each year we experience two equinoxes and two solstices that dictate the seasons. The vernal, or spring, equinox is when we see a change from winter to spring
The spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere heralds the astronomical beginning of the spring season. Spring equinox is also known as the March or vernal equinox globally, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
On the vernal equinox, the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive about the same amounts of sunlight. Meaning that neither hemisphere is tilted more toward or away from the sun than the other.
Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere have already been enjoying longer daylight hours since the winter solstice, but after March 20, we get to add blooming plants and warmer temperatures to the mix.
When do we spring forward for daylight saving time?
We will start seeing more daylight a couple of weeks ahead of the first day of spring.
Daylight saving time is the time of year when we either “spring forward or fall back,” depending on what season we are in. On Sunday, March 9, states that participate in the clock change will jump ahead one hour from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Why do we have daylight saving time?
According to the Farmer’s Almanac, daylight saving time— not “savings” as many of us are guilty of saying— began as a way to use natural daylight more efficiently. This means more daylight in the summer evenings and more in the winter mornings.
You may have heard that daylight saving time was created to assist farmers by extending daylight hours and therefore optimizing work hours. This is actually a common myth. The Farmer’s Almanac points out that the practice even inhibits farmers who work with animals since livestock only know internal clocks based on sunrise and sunset.
In reality, the practice of daylight saving was signed into law in 1918 as a fuel-saving measure during World War I. This law only lasted a few months before it was repealed in 1919.
During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a law establishing year-round daylight saving time. Since that law in 1942, there have been several amendments and additional laws creating the daylight saving time practices we adhere to today.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When is the first day of spring 2025? Here’s when winter ends