ELIMRA, N.Y. (WETM) – Today is March 1st, which is also known as the first day of meteorological spring, but what is meteorological spring and what makes it different from astronomical spring, or the spring we typically know?

Meteorological spring starts on March 1st and ends on May 31st. This is about 20 days before the beginning and end of astronomical spring, which starts on March 20th and ends on June 21st this year.

Meteorological seasons follow the annual temperature cycle. Meteorological summer and winter, for example, represent the warmest and coldest months of the year respectively. Meteorological spring in this case represents March, April, and May, the months when weather transitions from cold to warm.

Astronomical seasons are represented by Earth’s position relative to the sun. The first day of astronomical spring is when the sun’s highest point is directly over the equator just before heading to the northern hemisphere.

Meteorological spring is also commonly used for seasonal statistics. In 2022, the overall average temperature for meteorological spring in Elmira was 47.1 degrees. The average high temperature was 72.5 degrees, and the average low temperature was 18 degrees. Based on recent statistics, the temperatures appear to trend higher every year.