Wake up to "I'm late", but closer to Spring, March 2017

The Sun News UK/Lauren Windle, 3/3/17, "Spring in your step? When does spring start in 2017 an how are the seasons' dates decided?"

"Spring forward", Sunday 3/12/17. Translation:
Lose an hour and run late for several days.

Welcome Spring, Monday 3/20/17!!!
Warmer weather, fewer storms, time adjusted.

....  "WE ALL welcome the days when the harsh chill is out of the air and the sun stays up past 4pm. That’s right – it’s very nearly time for us to put Winter behind us, because spring is on the way.

.... What is spring?  Bit of an obvious one, but just in case… spring is the season that bridges the gap between Winter and Summer. The days begin to get longer and as the temperatures warm up, plants start blossoming in time for summer. The weather is typically calm and dry and the sun is high in the sky meaning that temperatures can be high in the day but stay cool at night. The warmest spring on record was in 2011 with an average daytime temperature of 9.2°C but the lowest was in 1962 at 5.8°C.
When does spring start?  This question, you may have thought is a simple one, but you are wrong.
The start of spring will change depending on who you ask. The short answer is that spring either runs from March 1 – May 31, 2017 OR from March 20 – June 20, 2017."   Read article. 

Related, time change.  Time and date, "Clock changes in San Francisco, CA. Next change, Sunday March 12, 2017, Daylight Savings Time.  ...  Sunday, March 12, 2017, 2:00:00 am clocks are turned forward 1 hour to Sunday, March 12, 2017, 3:00:00 am local daylight time instead.  Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour later on Mar 12, 2017 than the day before. There will be more light in the evening. Also called Spring Forward, Summer Time, and Daylight Savings Time. More info: DST Starts in USA & Canada. States in the US Consider Scrapping DST." 

Related, first day of Spring. Old Farmer's Almanac, "First Day of Spring: Vernal Equinox, 2017. .... "Specifically, the Northern Hemisphere marks the spring equinox on Monday, March 20, 2017, at exactly 6:29 A.M. EDT.  .... Astronomically speaking, the equinox (March 19 or 20 every year) marks spring’s beginning in the Northern Hemisphere (whereas it announces fall’s arrival in the Southern Hemisphere). The equinox happens at the same moment worldwide, even if our clock times reflect a different time zone. Meteorologically speaking, in the Northern Hemisphere, the official spring season always begins on March 1 and continues through May 31. Summer begins on June 1; autumn, September 1; and winter, December 1."

Note photo/graphics. Spring from Old Farmer's Almanac (related article above); clock image from Time and Date, 2016.

Posted by Kathy Meeh