Spring arrives on Tuesday of this week, according to astronomers.  Traditionally, the first day of spring was celebrated on March 21st. 

The arrival of spring has nothing to do with the weather, but instead has to do with the arrival of the Vernal Equinox.   The vernal equinox marks the turning point when daylight hours are more than the hours of darkness.  According to The Farmers Almanac, “At this moment, the direct rays of the Sun are shining down on the equator producing the effect of equal day and night (give or take a few minutes, see below).  After the vernal equinox, the direct rays of the Sun migrate north of the Equator (with hours of daylight steadily growing longer) until they finally arrive at the Tropic of the Cancer (latitude 23.5 degrees north)”.

While Tuesday is the first day of spring, we still have some winter-like weather to contend with.  Temperatures tonight will be in the upper 30’s across Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama and we will start the workweek on Monday with high temperatures only in the low 50’s.  Monday night looks like the coldest night of the coming week, with temperatures dipping down into the upper 20’s across the region.  We will see a gradual warming trend as we head into next weekend.