CHICAGO – DECEMBER 04: The sun reflects off buildings during a winter sunset along the Chicago Skyline in Chicago, Illinois on December 4, 2019. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Temperatures in the Chicago area are more than 20 degrees below normal on Tuesday, but we have good news: spring will be here before you know it.
Granted, that blessed date is still a bit more than a month away, but there are also several other daylight-related milestones that we will be hitting in the coming days and weeks.
Here’s what to know.
When does spring officially start?
The answer to this question depends on who you ask, because meteorologists and astronomers have different answers.
Meteorological spring always begins on March 1, with the date chosen to help make for easier recordkeeping when it comes to weather records.
Astronomical spring begins on the vernal equinox, the date where the sun crosses over the Equator and is higher in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere than it is in the Southern Hemisphere. That event will occur at approximately 4:01 a.m. Central Daylight Time on Thursday, March 20, according to the National Weather Service.
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What daylight milestones are coming on the horizon?
The first big milestone will arrive on Monday, Feb. 24 when the city of Chicago goes over 11 hours of daylight for the first time since Oct. 16. The city is currently gaining nearly three minutes of daylight per day, according to Time and Date.
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The next milestone will occur on Sunday, March 9, when daylight saving time begins in the United States. On that date, sunset will take place at approximately 6:50 p.m.
The city of Chicago will see more than 12 hours of daylight on Monday, March 17 just ahead of the spring equinox, and on the following day sunset will take place after 7 p.m. for the first time in more than six months, with the last post-7 p.m. sunset occurring way back on Sept. 14.
