Happy Vernal Equinox, more commonly known as the First Day of Spring!

This year, the Vernal Equinox takes place at 5:24pm ET on Monday, March 20.

The Vernal Equinox occurs when the sun’s light is equally shining on both the North and South Hemispheres. This means neither the North Pole nor the South Pole are pointed towards the sun, and the sun’s rays are directly over the equator.

On the day of the equinox, the length of day and night anywhere in the world is roughly the same. However, the true date of “equal daylight equal nighttime” occurs on the equilox -- the Latin phrase for “equal light” -- which takes place a few days before the Spring Equinox.

The animation below illustrates the solar terminator, and how it changes through the seasons according to NOAA.

First Day of Spring in Atlanta: What to Expect

The Vernal Equinox lands on Monday, March 20 this year, and the average daytime high in Atlanta on this date is 67 degrees; the average morning low is 46 degrees.

The warmest daytime high on March 20 occurred in 1907, when thermometers reached 86 degrees. The coldest morning low occurred on this date in 1923, when thermometers dropped to 17 degrees.

The average last spring freeze date for Metro Atlanta is March 23, however the latest spring freeze on record is April 25, 1910.

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