Winter 2025/26 - General Discussion

Hi all just wondering why are there two different opinions on when spring starts?
As far as I can make out make out meteorological spring in the northern hemisphere begins on March 1st and ends on May 31st but astronomical spring seems to start on March 20th but other people think we are in spring now?
What’s the consensus?

Personally, 1st March is the beginning of Spring for me. I also observe that date in the weather forums here.

If posting in the astronomy section of boards, I'll observe the astronomical calendar there, if that's the done thing.

Same goes if I was in a discussion about the Pagan religion in the religion section of Boards, where its now considered to be Spring.

Cloudy cool but dry here in Castlebar in a light to moderate Easterly wind. Its been some run of easterlys.

Met Eireann, the country's national weather service, defines March, April and May as spring. Surely that should be enough to put the debate to bed given this is a weather forum?

Every other weather service in the world also seems to define February as winter and March etc as spring (in the northern hemisphere).

The fact is we don't get four neatly packaged seasons in Ireland, we get around 8-9 months of autumnal weather with some "seasonal" spells scattered here and there and there's a barely noticeable temperature variation from month to month so I can fully understand why people (including our ancestors for probably thousands of years) instead use the amount of light, new growth etc. as more tangible definitions.

But yeah, being a meteorological forum March, April, May is obviously what we should use here

just wondering why all ‘the winter is over’ posters on Netweather keep posting in the WINTER discussion thread? You would think they would call it a day and come back next December. I can only presume they are still posting to troll and wind up the coldies who have yet throw in their towels as it’s still early February. Seriously, why post in the winter discussion thread if you have given up on this winter? I don’t get it.

Met says it will be easterlies almost totally dry in the west all week, with no significant rain until Weds 11th 😍

Yet, listening to national media, it is rain rain rain rain

A countrywide week of sunshine and frosty nights would be nice if we can’t get a snowy spell to see out winter. Air frost last 2 nights but overcast today. Locally weather could be worse but a bit bored with this pattern lately, nothing interesting happening.

-9 °C currently in Stockholm Airport. The maximum temperature in the city was -6 °C, so one of the coldest days I've experienced. It was a day of simultaneous sunshine and mostly light snow, nearly 48 hours of snow now. The snowflakes were incredible, basically perfectly shaped, as per the ones that were on my coat 😂

why has it felt like -5 today? It’s coldest I’ve felt this month

Seems like CORK getting it in the nuts tonight ..

"A very high tide this evening in Cork "

As per Alan of Carlow Weather:

"High spring tides with onshore wind and high water levels will result in overtopping and coastal flooding next 48 hours."

If this pattern is stuck for the next week or two, the southeast is in for a right hammering.
I think we will see flooding all along the east coast too. It’s a rough situation….

lovely example today on Rte of how ridiculous the warning criteria are,in the map of yellow skipping coastal Meath and starting again in Louth

Others are better placed to talk about an SSW than me but on netweather tonight they’re saying a SSW isn’t currently likely and the Irish times posted this this evening

Met Éireann climatologist Paul Moore said the latest runs from the advanced weather models show a split in the polar vortex occurring around the middle of the month.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026/02/02/snow-and-big-freeze-possible-after-weeks-of-wet-weather/