The tool below is a live spring countdown — see exactly how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds until spring begins. Choose the year you’re counting down to, switch between the astronomical start at the spring equinox or the meteorological start on March 1, and see how fast the daylight grows once spring arrives. If spring has already started, the countdown flips automatically and counts the days of spring remaining until the first day of summer.
How many days until spring?
The live countdown above shows the exact number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the first day of spring in your own time zone. Spring usually begins on March 19 or 20 in the United States, so from the depths of winter you are typically counting down somewhere between two and eleven weeks. Once the equinox passes, the same tool keeps working in reverse, showing how many of spring’s roughly 93 days are left before summer begins. If you count down to other dates too, you can find every one of our timers on the main countdown timer page.
When is the first day of spring?
Astronomical spring begins at the moment of the March equinox, which falls on March 19 or 20 depending on the year and your time zone. Here are the upcoming dates in United States time:
- Spring 2027 begins Saturday, March 20
- Spring 2028 begins Sunday, March 19
- Spring 2029 begins Tuesday, March 20
- Spring 2030 begins Wednesday, March 20
- Spring 2031 begins Thursday, March 20
- Spring 2032 begins Friday, March 19
The date drifts by a day because the Earth takes about 365.25 days to orbit the Sun, so the equinox lands a few hours later each year until a leap day pulls it back. The countdown above pins the exact moment for whichever year you select.
Astronomical spring vs. meteorological spring
There are two common ways to mark the start of the season, and the tool lets you switch between them. Astronomical spring follows the Sun and begins at the March equinox, so its date moves slightly each year. Meteorological spring is simpler: it always begins on March 1 and runs through May, dividing the year into four tidy three-month seasons. Meteorologists prefer the fixed version because it makes it far easier to compare climate records from one year to the next. Both are correct — they just answer slightly different questions.
The spring equinox: equal day and night
The word equinox comes from the Latin for “equal night,” and it marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving north. On this day, almost everywhere on Earth sees close to twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness. It is not exactly equal, though. Because the atmosphere bends sunlight and the Sun is a disc rather than a point, most places get a few extra minutes of daylight on the equinox itself. What makes spring distinctive is the pace of change that follows: this is the time of year when daylight increases fastest, with northern cities gaining several minutes every single day.
When does spring end?
Spring ends at the June solstice, the longest day of the year, which is also the first day of astronomical summer. That gives spring a span of about 93 days from late March to late June. By the solstice, daylight has climbed from roughly twelve hours at the equinox to its yearly maximum — about thirteen and three-quarter hours in Miami, fifteen in New York, sixteen in Seattle, and nearly twenty-two hours of daylight in Fairbanks, Alaska. The countdown’s calendar download includes both the first and last day of spring so you can save the whole season at once.
Spring in the Southern Hemisphere
South of the equator, the seasons are reversed. The March equinox brings autumn there, not spring, because the Southern Hemisphere is tilting away from the Sun rather than toward it. In places like Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and South Africa, spring runs from roughly September to December and begins at the September equinox.
Frequently asked questions
When is the first day of spring?
Astronomical spring begins at the March equinox, which falls on March 19 or 20 depending on the year and your time zone. In 2027 it lands on March 20; in 2028 it shifts to March 19. The countdown above shows the exact moment for whichever year you choose.
How many days until spring?
It depends on the date you are looking from. The live countdown above gives the exact number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds until spring begins in your own time zone, and counts the days remaining once spring has already arrived.
Why does the first day of spring change each year?
The Earth takes about 365.25 days to circle the Sun, so the equinox arrives roughly six hours later each year. A leap day every four years resets the drift, which is why the date bounces between March 19 and March 20.
What is the difference between astronomical and meteorological spring?
Astronomical spring follows the Sun and begins at the March equinox, so its date varies. Meteorological spring always begins on March 1 and runs through the end of May, which makes year-to-year climate comparisons simpler. You can switch between the two in the tool.
When does spring end?
Spring ends at the June solstice, the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. Spring lasts about 93 days, from late March to late June.
Is the spring equinox exactly twelve hours of day and night?
Almost, but not quite. Because the atmosphere bends sunlight and the Sun has a visible disc, most locations see a few minutes more than twelve hours of daylight on the equinox itself.
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