Why Does Spring Always Seem Colder Than It Should Be
Today is the first day of spring or the vernal equinox, but in most countries this does not happen. It is still quite cold, and it will be cool for a while. That’s why.
When you think about spring, you’re probably thinking about warm sunny days, picnics in the park, and sometimes a spring shower. And this is reasonable to expect, because every day we have more daylight, and the sun warms. But for most of the US, spring is a few degrees colder than fall. That’s right, those wicked autumn winds blowing leaves from trees are not good for a spring winter hangover. As Justin Greaser of the Washington Post notes , spring is usually anywhere from two to six degrees colder than the fall season. And, depending on which part of the country you are in, the vernal equinox can be 15-30 degrees colder than the autumn equinox in September.
But why? Isn’t there more sunshine in the spring? Yes, but it takes time for the planet to warm up. Enter ” seasonal temperature delay “. Of course, in the spring, most of the solar energy enters this part of the earth, but most of it is used primarily to heat the earth and large bodies of water. Once that happens, everything else catches up and finally the overall temperature rises. So it’s spring now and you might be excited about the concept, but for a while it won’t stop feeling like winter.