wunderground.com By: Joe Rao Published: March 19, 2013
Badamwari, Kashmir
Getty Images
Kashmiri park-goers walk past blooming almond orchards as spring arrives at Badamwari in Srinagar on March 18, 2013. Spring has arrived in Indian-administered Kashmir, which marks a thawing of the lean season for tourism in the Himalayan region. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images)
Lately, around this time of year, I often get letters from people wondering why spring begins early this year. Many folks assume the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere — also known as the vernal equinox — has always come on March 21. But this year seems to be an exception, for in 2013 the first day of spring comes on Wednesday, March 20 at 11:02 UT, or 7:02 a.m. EDT/4:02 a.m. PDT.
Now this doesn't seem right. When many of us were growing up, the first day of spring was always on March 21, not March 20, right? Now, all of a sudden, spring comes on March 20. How did that happen?
While it's true that we've tended to celebrate the beginning of spring on March 21 in recent years, astronomers and calendar manufacturers alike say that this year, the spring season starts one day earlier, March 20, in all time zones in North America.
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