When is spring 2026? Here's when winter officially ends - astronomical spring, meteorological spring and when the clocks go forward
It may sound straighforward, but when spring starts depends on what system you are using.
We’re now well into February, the shortest day is a distant memory, and snowdrops are appearing in parts and gardens.
All the signs are that winter is starting to loosen its grip and that brighter, warmer days are ahead.
But when does spring officially start? Well, there are two correct but different answers to that question.
Here are both - and when the clocks will be going forward.
When does astronomical spring start?
Our seasons are a result of the Earth's axis and orbit around the sun - and in particular the 23.5 degrees of tilt of the Earth's rotational axis.
Spring therefore begins at the spring (or vernal) equinox - the precise moment the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in nearly equal 12-hour day and night worldwide. It marks the arrival of warmer weather to the northern hemisphere and colder conditions to the southerm half of the globe.
When does meteorological spring start?
When the majority of people think about the seasons they are thinking about the meteorological version.
It was dreamed up by scientist according to "sensible weather patterns" in order to keep records - in other words winter falls when temperatures tend to be at their lowest.
To make it even easier to observe conditions and make forcasts, the seasons are broken down into four equally-long periods of time using the Gregorian calendar, meaning each season is exactly three months. The issue of Earth's elliptical orbit of the Sun is handled by having a leap year every four years, when an extra day is added to February. That's a day more winter.
So meteorological spring 2026 begins - as it always does - on March 1 and the last day will be May 31.
When do the clocks ‘spring’ forward in 2026?
This year the clocks go forward at 1am on Sunday, March 29.
It marks the start of British Summer Time (BST), with more daylight in the evenings and darker mornings.
BST, also known as Daylight Saving Time, was initially designed to help people maximise their sunlight hours throughout the year.
It was created following a campaign by British builder William Willett with the Summer Time Act of 1916.
Mr Willett wrote about his idea in his 1907 pamphlet called The Waste of Daylight, in which he proposed that days were made longer in the summer so he could play golf for longer.
After much lobbying, Mr Willett's idea was introduced to the UK a year after his death. Shortly after, Germany and Austria also introduced Daylight Saving Time.
Now, most countries in mainland Europe also change their clocks in summer and winter.
It was thought that the new way of observing time would make the most of natural sunlight and conserve energy, which was essential during World War I when coal was limited.
The logic was that it was pointless to waste electricity when there was actual daylight still to be used.
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