Daffodils are blooming, the weather is warmer and the evenings lighter, which can only mean one thing – spring has officially sprung. The arrival of March signals a change of seasons and means more daylight hours in the UK thanks to the clocks going forward.
The time is changed twice a year in the UK, it goes forward by one hour in March when there's more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings and is called British Summer Time or Daylight Saving Time. When the clocks go back in October, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time.
So when do the clocks go forward in the UK this year and when is the first day of spring? For the latter it depends on whether you're referring to the astronomical or meteorological spring.
Read more: When does hay fever season start in the UK?
Below you'll find all the dates you might want to schedule in your diaries and calendars. And if you're wondering when the next bank holiday is and when Easter is in 2022, you can find all that information here.
When do the clocks go forward 2022?
In the UK the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and back 1 hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October. It means this year the clocks will change on on Sunday, March 27 .
It means everyone will get one hour less in bed, but we're trading that for lighter and brighter evenings. Many phones and smart gadgets will update automatically but you should check if you need to do it manually.
When is the first day of spring?
The first day of spring depends on whether you are referring to the astronomical or meteorological spring. The official date for the start of astronomical spring in the UK is Sunday, March 20 .
According to the Met Office : "Astronomical seasons refer to the position of Earth's orbit in relation to the Sun, considering equinoxes and solstices. This is due to the 23.5 degrees of tilt of the Earth's rotational axis concerning its orbit around the Sun. Since the seasons vary in length, the start date of a new season can fall on different days each year."
Spring will last until Tuesday, June 21. However, if you thought March 1 always signalled the start of spring, you're not wrong.
If you refer to the meteorological calendar, which splits the seasons into four periods made up of three months each, spring will always start on March 1 and end on May 31.
The Met Office states: "Meteorological seasons are instead based on the annual temperature cycle and measure the meteorological state, as well as coinciding with the calendar to determine a clear transition between the seasons."
