When does spring start? Despite winter weather, spring is getting close in Iowa.
The spring equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, marks the official start of the season. Vernal means "new" and "fresh," according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, and marks the turning point when daylight begins to win out over darkness.
Iowa will also see more daylight because clocks move forward an hour on the second Sunday in March for Daylight Saving Time.
Here's everything to know about the start of spring, and when our clocks will be changing:
When is the first day of spring 2025?
Spring begins on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 4:01 a.m. CT, to be exact.
Meteorologists use a slightly different schedule, which divides the year into four three-month seasons. Meteorological spring started March 1, even if Mother Nature is still serving Iowa winter weather.
What is the spring equinox?
During this equinox, the sun will shine directly on the equator with nearly equal amounts of day and night, about 12 hours.
When do clocks change forward for daylight saving time?
Clocks will officially spring forward at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, 2025 to mark the start of daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time will end on the first Sunday in November, which falls on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.
Will daylight saving time end permanently?
In recent years, Congress has debated ending the practice of changing clocks. In 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, however, the U.S. House of Representatives did not pass it and President Joe Biden did not sign it.
President Donald Trump wrote about putting an end to daylight saving time on the social media site Truth Social in December 2024.
"The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation," he wrote.
Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.