Until Friday, Iowans enjoyed what we called an “early spring.” Aha! Mother Nature has a sense of humor, delivering snow on the first official day of spring.
It really has been an early spring, though. The spring equinox usually happens March 20 or 21. LiveScience.com explains that the spring equinox, the first day of spring, was March 20 at 12:30 am EDT, the earliest spring equinox since 1896.
The explanation is complicated and involves not only Leap Day, but a rule set by Pope Gregory XIII, the creator of the Gregorian calendar and leap years in 1582. Pope Gregory declared that years ending in “00” shouldn’t be leap years unless they’re also divisible by 400. The year 2000 was a leap year, but 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not, and 2100 won’t be, either.
So, the 2000 leap year moved the March equinox up about 18 hours earlier than it did in the year 1900, and for the entire 21st century, the spring equinox will continue to come earlier each year. In 2096, the spring equinox will be March 19 at 10:03 pm EDT.
In 2100, the March equinox will be March 20 at 9:01 am EDT, 11 hours later than in 2096.
Too much info? Maybe. Enjoy spring in Iowa!
