TYLER, Texas — It has been a damp and dreary Monday, but here is a reason to stop crying those winter blues.
Meteorological Spring started today, March 1.
The more familiar start date to spring would be related to the vernal equinox, which is towards the end of the month and falls on March 20 this year. That vernal equinox date changes by a day or two each year because of leap years and variations in our Earth's orbit or journey around the sun.
CBS19 Meteorologist, Colleen Campbell, explains that since the vernal equinox date changes each year, the seasons are grouped into months so each season has three months total and an equal amount of days.
It is the divider between our coldest months of the year (December, January and February) and our hottest months of the year (June, July and August).
Tracking temperature trends is important and here is an example of why. Looking at a 50-year data complied through climate central, Tyler has seen an increase in temperatures by 1.6 degrees during its spring season from the years 1970 - 2020.
Additionally, we now see about eight days above normal temperatures during our spring season.
Although warmer days feel nice, they can cause an uptick in severe weather.
We would like to remind you to stay prepared this spring season and make sure to join us for our severe weather special this Saturday, March 6 at 5 p.m.