when does spring begin 2026
Spring in 2026 begins on Friday, March 20, 2026, with the spring (vernal) equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.
When does spring begin 2026?
For most calendars and astronomical definitions, the first day of spring 2026 is:
- Date: Friday, March 20, 2026
- Astronomical event: Vernal (spring) equinox, when day and night are roughly equal in length.
- Equinox time:
- About 10:46 a.m. EDT (Eastern US/Canada)
* **11:33 UTC** (coordinated universal time, a global reference).
In many everyday conversations, people also treat March 1 as the start of “meteorological spring” (used by weather services), but officially, spring 2026 starts with the equinox on March 20.
Quick scoop (mini sections)
Astronomical vs. meteorological spring
- Astronomical spring:
- Starts at the vernal equinox (March 20, 2026).
* Ends at the summer solstice (June 21, 2026, in many calendars).
- Meteorological spring:
- Based on the calendar and temperature patterns.
- Runs from March 1 to May 31 in the Northern Hemisphere.
So if you’re asking “when does spring begin 2026” in the official, astronomical sense, the answer is March 20, 2026.
Helpful table (astronomical spring 2026)
| Region / Basis | Spring 2026 start date | Approx. time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Hemisphere (astronomical) | Friday, March 20, 2026 | 11:33 UTC | Vernal equinox, day and night nearly equal. | [9][3][7]
| Eastern US/Canada (EDT) | Friday, March 20, 2026 | 10:46 a.m. EDT | Commonly cited official equinox time in North America. | [1][3]
| Meteorological definition (Northern Hemisphere) | Sunday, March 1, 2026 | — | Used by climatologists; spring = March, April, May. | [7]
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.