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Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Raindrops hang on to Crocuses at Kew Gardens on March 1, 2013 in Kew, England. Today marks the first day of Spring, though the Met Office have said that temperatures are likely to be below average throughout March.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Buds emerge at Kew Gardens on Friday.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
A woman walks past Crocuses at Kew Gardens on Friday.
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Beautiful pictures..... but how is March first the first day of spring?
Steven, March 1st is the first day of Meteorological Spring - as in the WEATHER. ASTRONOMICAL Spring begins on the 21st. But when you think about how we are impacted by the seasons, doesn't March 1/June 1/Sept 1/Dec 1 for the first days of Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter make MUCH more sense?
My father is a Meteorologist - someone who has a degree in the science of predicting weather. I was raised with the knowledge that meteorological and astronomical "seasons" are off by about 20 days, but since "seasons" tend to be thought of in terms of WEATHER phenomena, it's about time someone CORRECTLY identified the first day of meteorological Spring. Also, the astronomical seasons wobble a bit based on the exact moment of the equinoxes and solstices whereas the meteorological first dates are ALWAYS the same.
Cat thanks for the information.... I have not considered, or tripped across that interesting bit of knowledge before today..:)
steven, that's because most of the information relates to astronomical seasons for some reason. But since we think of meteorological phenomena in terms of our seasons, I think we should stick to the meteorological starts of those seasons - especially since they are fixed on the calendar and don't wobble based on astronomical observance.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2003/s2143.htm
Again, my father has a degree in meteorology so I grew up hearing all kinds of weather related stuff ... as well as having a father who stood outside in Southern Illinois during a tornado warning while the rest of us were under the stairs because he wanted to see a tornado.
Yea, it is beautiful pictures with beautiful flowers.