--- title: Vernal Equinox Means Springtime Is Finally Here description: Put away the jackets and gloves and break out the pastel colors because spring is finally here canonical: https://time.com/30230/springtime-is-finally-here-as-vernal-equinox-arrives/ author: Harry Swartout article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-19T17:44:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:50:50.695Z article:section: Science og:title: Spring is Almost Here og:description: The Vernal Equinox on 4/20 Mans Springtime for the Northern Hemisphere. og:url: https://time.com/30230/springtime-is-finally-here-as-vernal-equinox-arrives/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt418177d2a3776e57/6986862cadae440a73542097/spring-red-tulips.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Red tulips against blue sky og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Spring is Almost Here twitter:description: The Vernal Equinox on 4/20 Mans Springtime for the Northern Hemisphere. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt418177d2a3776e57/6986862cadae440a73542097/spring-red-tulips.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Springtime Is Finally Here as Vernal Equinox Arrives by [Harry Swartout](https://time.com/author/harry-swartout/) ## Harry Swartout Mar 19, 2014 5:44 PM UTC  Red tulips against blue sky Red tulips against blue skyGetty Images by [Harry Swartout](https://time.com/author/harry-swartout/) ## Harry Swartout Mar 19, 2014 5:44 PM UTC Chilly weather may still be lingering in some areas of the U.S., but there’s light at the end of the tunnel — Thursday brings the Vernal Equinox, or the official beginning of spring. Twice a year, the earth’s axis is angled such that the world gets an equal amount of daylight and night. As the axis tilts further, the northern hemisphere receives more direct sunlight, leading to spring and summer’s warmer temperatures. The Equinox helps mark important celebrations around the world like Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Easter, and Passover. Put away the jackets and gloves and break out the pastel colors, because spring is finally here. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/30230/springtime-is-finally-here-as-vernal-equinox-arrives/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/30230/springtime-is-finally-here-as-vernal-equinox-arrives/"},"headline":"Springtime Is Finally Here as Vernal Equinox Arrives","datePublished":"2014-03-19T17:44:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:50:50.695Z","description":"Put away the jackets and gloves and break out the pastel colors because spring is finally here","url":"https://time.com/30230/springtime-is-finally-here-as-vernal-equinox-arrives/","keywords":["weather","sun","spring"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt418177d2a3776e57/6986862cadae440a73542097/spring-red-tulips.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Harry Swartout","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/harry-swartout/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt418177d2a3776e57/6986862cadae440a73542097/spring-red-tulips.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Red tulips against blue sky","caption":"Red tulips against blue sky","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/weather/","name":"weather"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/30230/springtime-is-finally-here-as-vernal-equinox-arrives/","name":"Springtime Is Finally Here as Vernal Equinox Arrives"}}]}] ```