Is spring on the way? Everything you need to know...

The UK is set to get some slightly warmer weather soon as we head towards the start of March - which weather forecasters consider to be the beginning of spring.

Spring is the season when temperatures start to rise and beautiful flowers - including snowdrops, daffodils, and crocuses - begin to bloom again.

It's also when clocks 'spring forward', making our evenings much lighter.

But when does spring officially begin?

The answer isn't as straight-forward as you might think, as people can't agree on exactly when winter ends and spring starts.

Some people - including weather forecasters - prefer to go by meteorological spring, which starts on 1 March every year.

Other people prefer to go by astronomical spring, which is on 20 March in 2026, although the date can change each year due to the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

So what's the difference? Keep reading to find out...

In meteorology - which is the science that studies the Earth's atmosphere, weather, and climate - the year is split into four seasons, each made up of three full months.

This stays the same every year, making it easier for people who study the weather to compare seasons from one year to the next.

The spring months are March, April and May - meaning the season begins on 1 March and lasts until 31 May every year.

This is different to astronomical spring, where the dates can change each year.

The astronomical calendar follows the dates of the two equinoxes that happen in March and September every year.

Astronomical spring follows the date of the spring equinox - the one that happens in March.

On the spring equinox, the Earth's axis isn't tilted either towards or away from the Sun like it usually is, making day and night nearly equal in length.

This year, astronomical spring falls on 20 March and will last until what's known as the summer solstice on 21 June.

During this period, the days will be longer than the nights.

The equinox happens at exactly the same time for everyone on the planet.

However, the seasons are reversed for people living in the southern hemisphere (south of the equator), meaning the equinox on 20 March is actually their first day of autumn.