how far away is spring
Spring 2026 in the Northern Hemisphere starts on Friday, March 20, 2026 (astronomical spring, the spring equinox).
Quick Scoop
How far away is spring?
Today is February 2, 2026, so spring (March 20, 2026) is about 6½ weeks away , or roughly 47 days depending on your time zone.
Many calendars mark this as the official start of spring because it’s when the vernal equinox happens and day and night are almost the same length.
If you go by meteorological spring , which groups seasons by full months, then “spring” runs from March 1 to May 31 , so that version of spring is less than a month away.
Two ways people define “spring”
- Astronomical spring :
- Starts at the spring equinox: March 20, 2026, around late morning in North America (10:46 a.m. EDT / 14:46 UTC in many references).
* Ends at the June solstice around June 21, 2026.
- Meteorological spring :
- Simple month-based system: March, April, May.
* Used often in weather stats and climate data.
Here’s a quick view:
| Type of spring | 2026 start date | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Astronomical spring | March 20, 2026 (spring equinox) | Calendars, astronomy, many “first day of spring” mentions |
| Meteorological spring | March 1, 2026 | Weather services, climate statistics |
A tiny bit of storytelling
If winter feels long, you’re at the point where the days are already getting noticeably longer, but the real “spring feeling” tends to arrive as you get closer to March: buds on trees, lighter evenings, and fewer truly cold days in many places. You can think of the next few weeks as the slow turning of a dial from grey to green rather than a sudden switch flipped on March 20.
In forum-style chats, people this time of year often say things like, “Just got through January—spring is in sight now,” and they’re usually counting down exactly to that March 20 equinox date or to the start of March as their personal “emotional spring.”
TL;DR
- Official (astronomical) spring: starts March 20, 2026.
- That’s roughly 47 days from February 2, 2026 for most Northern Hemisphere locations.
- If you count March 1 as your spring start, it’s even closer.