Astronomical spring officially begins early Sunday morning at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, or late Saturday night if you're in the Central, Mountain or Pacific time zones.
The other name for this day is the vernal equinox, and this year, it's happening earlier than it has since 1896. In case you were wondering, spring sprung on March 19 at 9:22 p.m. Eastern Standard Time that year.
So why is Spring arriving so early this year?
Leap year.
It takes roughly 365 and a quarter days for the earth to make its way around the sun. Leap year is our answer to make up for the extra quarter day every year.
Since we've added the extra day in February, certain events tied to the stars, like the vernal equinox, will likely occur earlier than usual — or earlier than they have in the last 120 years in this case.
Watch the video below to find out what the spring forecast looks like:
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