GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Most of us just look at the seasons one way and that’s the calendar definition. But what if I told you there was another way of looking at seasonal weather that’s a little bit more accurate?

Have you ever experienced a warm day in the middle of March, just to think to yourself, ‘how is it still technically winter?’ Well, it turns out the astronomical definition of the seasons, which is based on Earth’s tilt and the sun’s alignment with the equator, doesn’t quite line up with the annual temperature cycle.

Business picking up along Crystal Coast as weather warms

The first day of spring according to the calendar is March 20, and the first day of summer is June 21, but you’ve probably noticed we start warming up weeks before that. Meteorologists divide the year into the warmest months as summer, the coldest months as winter and the transitional months as spring and fall.

Meteorological spring starts on March 1 and includes the months of March, April and May. Summer is considered the months of June, July and August. Fall is September, October and November. Winter is December, January and February. 

Seasonal weather is on a spectrum, so there’s no perfect way of looking at it. But the meteorological definition has always made the most sense to me, and if you go by it, Wednesday is the first day of spring!