The spring equinox brings sunshine and above-average temperatures for Thursday, with cooler temps in areas that received fresh snow on Wednesday.

Newly released data shows signs that drought conditions are improving in Minnesota.

Astronomical spring has arrived!

While meteorological spring started on March 1, Thursday marks the first day of astronomical spring, which began at 4:01 a.m. This is when the sun crosses the equator, bringing equal day and night lengths.

Fun science fact for the day: Did you know that in the mid-latitudes we do not experience equal day and equal night on the equinox? In fact there is more daylight than night on the actual equinox!

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This happens because the sun is a disk rather than a point of light, so its rays start to reach us a little before the actual “sunrise” and linger a little after “sunset.”

Additionally, atmospheric refraction bends the light, making the sun appear slightly above the horizon even when it’s technically just below it. These two factors combine to give us a little extra daylight on the equinox.

There is also a phenomenon called the equilux, which is the day when day and night are truly equal. For the spring equinox, the equilux usually happens a few days before, while for the autumnal equinox, it occurs a few days after. The exact timing can vary slightly depending on your latitude and local topography.

If we take a look at sunset and sunrise times for St. Paul, we will see that the equilux occurred on March 17:

March 17 equilux

Timeanddate.com

The latest drought monitor, issued on Thursday, indicates a slight improvement in our spring drought concerns.

Cass and Wadena counties in north-central Minnesota saw the biggest improvement. The severe drought area, marked in orange, improved by nearly 2 percentage points, dropping from almost 10 percent of the state to just over 8 percent.

Drought conditions March 11 and March 18

National Drought Mitigation Center

The eastern half of Stearns County is now considered free of any drought concerns. Meanwhile, the southern halves of Crow Wing and Aitkin counties have been upgraded from moderate drought to the abnormally dry category.

Temps trending near to above-average

We’ll see temperatures trend near normal or slightly above normal. The average high for this time of year is 44 degrees, with an average low of 27.

Temperatures Friday through Monday

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, via Pivotal Weather

With 19 days into March, temperatures are trending more than 8 degrees above average. If the warmth continues, this March is likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record.

Top 10 warmest-March

NOAA Regional Climate Centers