Clusters of redbud blossoms cover the tree’s branches in the early spring, before the leaves begin to unfold.
Credit: © Thinkstock

Spring has sprung! Today, Monday, March 20th, is the vernal equinox. The equinox is the official marker of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere. The equinox occurs when the sun is directly above Earth’s equator. When the sun is in this position, all places on Earth receive approximately 12 hours of sunlight. The term equinox comes from a Latin word meaning equal night.

Many people in the United States are welcoming spring with piles of snow outside their front door! Unseasonal and abnormal storms have hit California and the northeast United States. Heavy rain, snow, hail, and even tornadoes have hit California in the last two months. The flooding has broken levees in some communities in northern California, raising fears of even more damage. A nor’easter hit New England on Tuesday, March 14th, after an unusually quiet winter, dropping nearly 28 inches (71 centimeters) of snow in Vermont and Massachusetts. A nor’easter is a powerful storm coming from winds going northeast that produces a lot of precipitation. Many people throughout the United States are keeping their snow shovels, boots, and parkas out for a few more weeks!

A snowstorm in the Boston area left two feet of snow. Credit: AP Photo

The equinoxes occur on March 19, 20, or 21 and on September 22 or 23. In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox marks the start of spring and is often called the vernal equinox. The position of the vernal equinox is called the first point of Aries. The word vernal means of spring. The September equinox marks the beginning of autumn and is called the autumnal equinox. The seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.

The time interval from the March equinox to the September equinox is longer than that between the September equinox and the next March equinox by several days. This time difference results from the earth’s elliptical (oval-shaped) orbit around the sun. The earth moves faster in its orbit when it is closer to the sun. The distance between the earth and the sun is shortest in January. Therefore, the earth completes the semicircle from the September equinox to the March equinox faster than it does the opposite semicircle.

The equinoxes are the two moments of the year when the sun is directly above the equator. As Earth moves in its orbit around the sun, the position of the sun changes in relation to the equator, as shown by the dotted lines in this diagram. The sun appears north of the equator between the March equinox and the September equinox. It is south of the equator between the September equinox and the next March equinox. Credit: WORLD BOOK diagram

Historically, the year began with spring in many cultures. Evidence of this practice in ancient Rome remains part of the modern calendar. Counting March instead of January as the first month of the year, we find that September, October, November, and December are the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months. The prefixes sept-, oct-, nov-, and dec- come from the Latin words for 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Spring looks different around the world. The Northern Hemisphere has spring weather from late March through May. In the Southern Hemisphere, spring weather begins in September and lasts through November. The number of daylight hours increases during spring, particularly in the polar regions, and the temperature rises. Nature awakens in spring. Flowers bloom, and hibernating animals leave their winter sleeping places. Many cultures have festivals that celebrate the arrival of spring. Find your own way to celebrate spring this year. Spring is a new beginning, enjoy the flowers, longer days, and warmer weather!

In the eastern United States, winter storms brought record snows over the weekend of January 23. Credit: AP Photo

January 22, 2016

A winter storm that has been predicted for the last week has finally hit the southeastern United States. On Friday afternoon, January 22, the storm covered the southeastern United States—including North Carolina and Virginia—with 7 to 9 inches (17.5 to 23 centimeters) of snow. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the storm’s size was huge. It will move up the East Coast, dropping snow for the entire weekend. Some regions in the storm’s path are expected to receive as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of snow. Some areas will also see high winds, blizzard conditions, and storm surges (sudden onrushes of tidal waves caused by strong winds) with flooding.

As the storm travels up the Coast into such areas as Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, it will be striking in areas used to heavy snowfall. The southern United States region, however, is far less used to snowfall. Two feet (61 centimeters) or more of snow are predicted for the Washington, D.C. region. That region receives an average of 14.5 inches (37 centimeters) per year.

Some 50 to 75 million people will be affected by the storm. Subways in Washington, D.C., were closing for January 22 through January 24. Almost 3,000 flights were canceled on January 22, mostly in the south. Another 3,000 flights were canceled for January 23.

February 10, 2015

The third major snowfall in two weeks struck the United States’ New England region—Boston, Massachusetts, in particular—again. In two storms in late January and early February, Boston received a total of 40.5 inches (103 centimeters) of snow in a week. With yesterday’s storm, Boston received another 22 inches (59 centimeters) and the storm was not predicted to end until today. In total, the city has received 71.8 inches (182 centimeters) this winter. It breaks all records for winter snowfall there, even in a city used to harsh winters.

The latest snowstorm left the Boston area with another nearly two feet of snow and forced the local transportation authority to suspend all rail service for the day. Credit: AP Photo

Boston and much of the New England area are prone to a type of storm called nor’easters. When the warm ocean currents of the Gulf of Mexico meet the frigid cold air traveling southwards over the Atlantic, a rotating low-pressure system brings rolling, dark clouds and rain or snow to New England.

Travel in the Boston region has been affected, with subway and train service canceled as well as 2,000 flights. The city of Boston is also struggling to get rid of so much snow. This is especially important since a fourth snowstorm is predicted to hit the area this coming weekend. The city’s “snow farms”—vacant parcels of land where snow removal crews dump large amounts of plowed snow—are full. Piles of snow made by plows reach to 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 meters) at intersections on some streets. Boston has begun using snow melters, gas-powered machines that can melt about 350 tons (307 metric tons) per hour. Still, the large snow melters are struggling to keep up, and Boston may be forced to request permission from the department of environmental protection to dump snow in Boston Harbor.

January 3, 2014

More than 100 million people from the Midwest to the East Coast ushered in the New Year while contending with heavy snowfalls, blustery winds, and piercing cold. The first major winter storm of 2014, which began tapering off in the Northeast this morning, led the governors of New York and New Jersey, as well as a number of local officials, to declare states of emergency. At least 13 people were reported dead, as snowfalls of up to 21 inches (53 centimeters) and wind gusts of up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour clogged highways and city streets, forced some 2,300 flight cancellations, closed businesses, and extended the winter holiday for tens of thousands of students. Many of the storm’s victims died in traffic accidents.

The blizzard hit the Midwest on New Year’s Eve, lingering for nearly 48 hours to dump up to 17 inches (43 centimeters) of snow on Illinois and Michigan. The storm then merged with a low-pressure system off the Atlantic Coast to create a nor’easter (a storm with high winds that blow from the northeast). Some areas also suffered bitterly cold temperatures. The wind chill in Burlington, Vermont, dropped to a dangerous -29 °F (-34 °C). A new weather system was forecast to bring subzero temperatures to an area stretching from the Northern Plains to New England by this weekend and early next week.

Blizzard is a blinding snowstorm with strong, cold winds. (AP Photo)

Additional articles in World Book:

• The Forecast: Better Weather Prediction Ahead (a Special Report)

February 8, 2013

The first snowflakes of what could be a massive winter storm began falling on New England this morning. The storm was expected to lash an area from New York City to Maine with wind gusts up to 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour and potential snowfalls of 3 feet (1 meter). Up to 8 million people could be affected. “This is going to be a dangerous winter storm,” said Alan Dunham, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, Massachusetts, told The Washington Post. “Wherever you need to get to, get there by Friday afternoon and don’t plan on leaving.”

(Credit: © Colin McPherson, Corbis)

As New Englanders scrambled to stock up on food, gasoline, and other supplies, airlines cut more than 3,700 flights and hundreds of schools canceled classes. Amtrak suspended service northboard out of Pennsylvania Station in New York City and southbound out of Boston. Officials in Boston, which could get 2 to 3 feet of snow, announced that the city’s mass transit system would cease operations at 3:30 this afternoon. Meteorolgists were forecasting 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) of snow for New York City and a threat of flooding in coastal areas battered by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012. The storm was expect to peak early Saturday morning, though the effects of the blizzard, including impassable streets and power failures, could linger.

Additional World Book articles:

• Snow
• The Forecast: Better Weather Prediction Ahead (a special report)