Today is the first day of spring, although it may not feel like it at times.  

The Spring equinox is the start of what is classified as astronomical spring and has no bearing on what the temperatures may be. Instead, it has more to do with the sun, and how it appears in the sky. In fact, that is how the start of all of the seasons is determined, explained Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. 

“On the spring equinox and the fall equinox the sun is directly over the equator,” Lang said. “In the winter solstice, the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, and in the summer it’s directly over the Tropic of Capricorn.” 

The sun sitting over the equator also means the sun will be shining here in southeast Saskatchewan, weather permitting, from 7:04 a.m. to 7:09 p.m., with the days continually getting longer until the solstice in June.  

While it is the first day of spring, it doesn’t mean it will be nice weather from here on out. There are more factors at play than just the position of the sun and the hours of sunshine, Lang added.  

“We’re able to tap into more and more warmth, so of course they have a big impact on weather patterns,” Lang said. “It’s that clash of the cold air and the warm air that creates the weather that we see.” 

And while the calendar doesn’t automatically determine what the weather is, Lang emphasized the people of Saskatchewan just seem to know what is coming based on the wind.  

“People actually find in Saskatchewan they do understand the weather, they just don’t know why,” Lang said. “They just know. They talk about east winds, they know what east winds mean – it usually means that precipitation is on the way. North winds mean colder air, south winds mean warmer air. Most people understand that because they are so in tune with the weather.”