By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon
March 20, 2009 09:55 pm
—
Spring arrived on a cold and sunny note at 7:44 a.m. Friday, as the sun passed directly over the Equator, marking the vernal equinox and the end of winter.
Here is a fact you may not be aware of: Spring is longer than winter. According to Space.com this is because of the earth’s uneven orbit and tilt.
Scientists say the seasons differ in length: spring, 92.8 days; summer, 93.6 days; autumn, 89.8 days; and winter, 89 days.
For folks who live in the Northern Hemisphere and like warmer weather, the lengths of spring and summer are good news, especially after 126 inches of snow fell this past winter, said Dorset resident Greg Becker, an observer for the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
Becker points out that in northeast Ohio, the thermometer doesn’t always back up the fact that spring is longer than winter. Temperatures are forecast to drop into the lower 30s tonight, for example.
Today, look for cloudy skies with highs in the mid-40s, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
Sunday will be a little brighter, with partly cloudy skies and highs in the upper 40s, according to NWS.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.