The start of Spring: What that means for temperatures & daylight

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The official start of Spring is marked by the Vernal Equinox today, March 20 at 4:25 p.m.

The Vernal Equinox, also known as the Spring Equinox, takes place today. This equinox marks the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

At 4:25 p.m. today, the sun will cross the equator from south to north, shining its rays directly down on the equator brining equal light to both halves of the Earth. Daylength on the day of the Spring Equinox is actually longer than darkness by several minutes which is complex because most people think equinox means daylength and darkness are equal yet that is not the case.

Now that spring has begun, our daylength will increase a little every day until the summer... — Now that spring has begun, our daylength will increase a little every day until the summer solstice.(wsmv)

In the coming months, the sun will shine directly on the Northern Hemisphere. This results in more daytime than nighttime, and the sun gets higher in the sky each day. With the daylength increasing, we will see our average high temperatures going up. In other words, it will get warmer over the next several months.

Average high temperatures go up significantly during the spring and summer months.(wsmv)

For the rest of Spring, daylength will increase in small increments each day until the Summer Solstice occurs on June 21. This will mark the start of summer, and we will gain several additional hours of daylight up until that date.