Spring arrives in Texas Saturday at 4:37 am CDT. This is the time the sun's rays will be directly over the equator.
The seasons are marked as the sun traverses back from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere and back south again over the course of the year. When the sun's direct rays are over the equator it is the vernal (spring) or autumnal (fall) equinox. The word equinox is derived from a Latin word meaning equal as the daytime and nighttime are nearly equal across the planet.
The sun's rays will continue to move deeper into the Northern Hemisphere through the spring, finally reaching its northernmost point, the Tropic of Cancer on the first day of summer. This year that occurs at 10:32 pm CDT on June 22.
Fall begins on September 22 as the sun once again crosses the equator. The arrival of winter is marked by the sun's rays reaching the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere on December 21.
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While the movement of the sun's rays determine the astronomical seasons, the science of meteorology breaks the seasons into convenient three month blocks. Spring is March through May. Summer is June through August. Fall is September through November, and winter is December through February. This makes it easier for record keeping.
By either definition, Spring will officially arrive in Texas this weekend.
