For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox occurs today, when the sun's radiation falls directly on the equator; for individuals in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the autumn equinox. While this astronomical definition of the season makes sense from a global point of view, it has little to do with the onset of "spring conditions."
Spring has been unfolding across southern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere for the past month or so, as flowers and greenery adorn the landscape and severe thunderstorms, some with devastating tornadoes, have ravaged the countryside. Farther north, across Temperate latitudes, subtle signs of the season have also been apparent for weeks (crocuses and skunk cabbage pushing through the frozen soil, chorus frogs calling from icy ponds and a swell of birdsong, to name a few); nevertheless, polar fronts and snowstorms continue to threaten the region. Even farther north (across the Arctic and sub-Arctic) and in the high elevations of our mountain ranges, spring conditions may not arrive for two months or more.
Indeed, despite the ubiquitous pronouncements on this "First Day of Spring," the season is a continuum, determined by latitude, elevation and atmospheric patterns, the latter varying from year to year. Those of us along the Colorado Front Range, anticipating periods of snow into May and regularly gazing toward the snow-covered peaks to our west, are less inclined to accept a strict definition of the season.
Spring has been unfolding across southern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere for the past month or so, as flowers and greenery adorn the landscape and severe thunderstorms, some with devastating tornadoes, have ravaged the countryside. Farther north, across Temperate latitudes, subtle signs of the season have also been apparent for weeks (crocuses and skunk cabbage pushing through the frozen soil, chorus frogs calling from icy ponds and a swell of birdsong, to name a few); nevertheless, polar fronts and snowstorms continue to threaten the region. Even farther north (across the Arctic and sub-Arctic) and in the high elevations of our mountain ranges, spring conditions may not arrive for two months or more.
Indeed, despite the ubiquitous pronouncements on this "First Day of Spring," the season is a continuum, determined by latitude, elevation and atmospheric patterns, the latter varying from year to year. Those of us along the Colorado Front Range, anticipating periods of snow into May and regularly gazing toward the snow-covered peaks to our west, are less inclined to accept a strict definition of the season.
