First day of spring 2025: When is it, what to expect

Ready for winter to wrap up? The good news is the first day of spring is right around the corner.

Here's what we can expect this spring in New York City:

When is the first day of spring?

What they're saying:

Spring officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere at 5:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 20.

According to the Farmers' Alamac, we typically celebrate the first day of spring on March 21.

FOX 5 NY's Nick Gregory says the spring forecast will be warmer than average, but "probably near average as we get into precipitation." The first 60-degree day of the year usually lands on April 10 for us. (Fingers crossed we see one sooner than that!)

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this year (as Gregory predicted) but Staten Island Chuck did not.

Why does the first day of spring always change?

Dig deeper:

According to the Farmers' Alamac, there are a few reasons why the first day of spring can vary:

The spring equinox will begin at 11:49 p.m. EDT on March 19. It’s the earliest spring arrival in the United States since 1896. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

  1. A year doesn't consist of a whole number of days, and the seasons follow the same pattern.
  2. Leap year days can factor in.
  3. Earth’s elliptical orbit is changing its orientation (skew).

What happens during the vertical equinox?

Dig deeper:

Astronomically speaking, the Earth’s equator is aligned directly with the sun on the vernal equinox at this time.

During the vernal equinox, the entire world experiences an equal amount of daylight and darkness.

The Earth's orbit around the sun gives our planet its four seasons. (Credit: NOAA)

The two solstices and two equinoxes are simply precise moments in time when the sun is in direct alignment with three distinct bands of latitude.

Their dates can vary by a day or two each year since it takes the Earth 365 days and 6 hours (365.25 days) to make one full revolution around the sun, which is why we have a leap year every four years.

The Source: This article uses reporting from FOX 5 NY's Nick Gregory, Farmers' Alamac, and contains previous reporting from FOX 5 NY. 

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