Categories: Lifestyle

First day of spring: Vancouver to have a rainier-than-usual March & sunsets after 7 p.m.

Photo via Shutterstock

With daylight saving time starting this weekend, it’s time to kiss short winter days goodbye and turn our attention to all things spring. According to Time and Date and The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the first official day of the season is coming up at the end of the month, which means sunsets are about to get later as well!

When is the first day of spring in 2025?

This year, the first day of spring falls on Thursday, March 20, 2025. The astronomical definition of the seasons is based on equinoxes and solstices, and in the northern hemisphere, spring begins with the equinox in March, or vernal equinox.

“In 2025, the March equinox happens on March 20 at 5:01 a.m. EDT (2:01 a.m. PDT). This falls on a Thursday and is the astronomical beginning of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumn season in the Southern Hemisphere,” reads The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

This occurs when the sun crosses the “celestial equator” going south to north, which is called “celestial” because it’s technically an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator.

Later sunsets

Perhaps one of the biggest wins of the change in seasons is the later sunsets. By ‘springing forward,’ we lose an hour of sleep but gain an extra hour of daylight in the evenings. Starting Sunday, March 9, 2025, the local sunset time in Vancouver will jump from 6:07 p.m. to 7:08 p.m.

On the first day of spring, the sun will set at 7:26 p.m., over an hour later than it does currently!

On the last day of the month, the sunset will start at 7:42 p.m., according to Time and Date.

What is the weather forecast for March 2025?

According to The Weather Network, March temperatures are expected to be “near normal” or “tip to the cold side of normal” across Western Canada as well as Atlantic Canada after a “milder” start to the month.

Starting mid-March, there will be a transition to a colder pattern and more “active storm track” that will last through the remainder of the month, which means more rain in the city and a forecasted “abundance of snow” in the alpine region. So good news for ski and snowboard lovers!

Photo via The Weather Network

Heading into April and May, The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts that things will heat up in the western provinces, with “warmer than normal” temperatures in April and a wetter weather pattern than usual.

“This includes the western Prairies through British Columbia and into the Yukon and NWT. Newfoundland and Labrador, southeastern Ontario (above the Great Lakes), and southeastern Quebec will also see above-normal precipitation,” reads the forecast.

In B.C., these warmer-than-normal temperatures will dominate in April, cooling slightly in May, dotted with “ongoing rainy periods” throughout both months.

So mark your calendars, and don’t forget to set your clocks an hour forward this weekend!