A bit about the Vernal equinox

Friday (March 20) at 5:44 AM (mountain time), Spring officially begins in the northern hemisphere (and the weather will definitely feel the way you expect it to for the season).

The astronomical event is the Vernal equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator (the projection of earth's equator onto the sky), heading northward. The sun will be directly overhead at the equator, and will rise directly east and set directly west for one of only 2 days during the year. (the other 363 days, it rises and sets either north or south of east and west. Take a look and see for yourself).

The word "equinox" comes from the latin words meaning "equal night", as the general belief is that on the equinox, you experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness...but that's only true close to the equator.

The further from the equator you are, the further from a 12-hour day you'll find yourself. For example...in Colorado Springs, (approximately 39 degrees north latitude), the sun will rise at 7:02 and set at 7:11. That's 12 hours and 9 minutes. Pueblo will see (official) sunrise at 7:01 and sunset at 7:10, again a 12 hour and 9 minute day...so it's close, but not on the 12 hour mark.

In more general terms, this is the "March Equinox", which takes into account that it's the beginning of FALL for many cities in the southern hemisphere.

By the way, thunderstorm season follows the sun, so the higher in the sky the sun climbs (and the warmer it becomes), the more likely we are to hear the rumble of thunder.