Spring at last! What to know about the season that starts Thursday

As Long Islanders gear up for the first day of spring on Thursday, they can look forward to warmer weather and longer days.

This year’s spring, or vernal, equinox will occur at 5:01 a.m. on Thursday, when the Earth's axis and its orbit line up so both hemispheres have an equal amount of sunlight.

Day and night will be also be of equal length.

But will Long Island experience an early spring or an extended winter? Read on to find out.

What can Long Island expect for spring weather?

Nelson Vaz, National Weather Service meteorologist at Upton, said there are "no strong signals" for forecasting this spring. But we may see above average temperatures, thanks to a weak La Niña. That's a pattern of sea surface temperature and atmospheric changes in the tropical Pacific Ocean that will continue to move across the northern United States.

"We're still in that weak La Niña pattern going into the spring," Vaz said.

The Climate Prediction Center forecasts temperatures in March, April and May to be 33% to 40% "Leaning Above" normal temperatures, after averaging out the highs and the lows of the three months.

What weather conditions will Long Island experience on Thursday, the first day of spring?

Vaz said Thursday should see pretty seasonable temperatures, with highs in the mid-50s. But it will start out foggy, with clouds in the afternoon and gusty breezes.

A 100% chance of precipitation is forecast for Thursday night into Friday morning, with a slight chance of a rain/snow mix, as the mercury falls to 38 degrees. The showers may continue into midmorning, but it won’t be a "big event," Vaz said.

How did  the winter’s snowfall compare to previous years?

Long Island had a below average snowfall, as the total recorded snowfall in Islip was 11.7 inches. The average snowfall for December through March is about 20 inches of snow.

"We've seen that the last few years," Vaz said, referring to low snowfall in recent winters.

This winter was particularly cold, with cold snaps of several days in January and February, thanks to the arctic winds.

"Overall, if you looked at the whole December, January and February at Islip, we're about 0.4 degrees below normal in terms of the average," Vaz said.

Long Island also had average precipitation, with the service recording 10.55 inches in combined rainfall and melted snow at Islip.

"When these storms did produce some rainfall or precipitation, it wasn't really timing out with the cold air to get a lot of snowfall," Vaz said.

But the rain that did fall means most of Long Island is no longer under drought conditions as it was at  the beginning of the season. Long Island experienced significantly dry conditions in the fall after about a two-month drought.

"Certainly it has helped, some of the rainfall we've seen over the past winter," Vaz said.

When is the right time to start planting?

Karen Musgrave, marketing and ecommerce associate at Hicks Nurseries in Westbury, said the first day of the season is the perfect time to go outside and begin spring cleaning.

Now that Long Island has consistent temperatures above 40 degrees, those with gardens or yards can rake up leaves or debris that may have accumulated in a garden bed or on the lawn during the winter, as well as weed and add mulch.

"Just ready those areas for all the good stuff that's to come," Musgrave said.

If you have a vegetable garden, lettuce, carrots and onions can be planted in March and April to be ready for harvest in late June or July. Shrubs and trees can also be planted in early spring,

Early spring like March and April is the time to plant perennials such as forsythias. But gardeners should wait until around Mother’s Day to plant other flowers, vegetables and annuals that bloom throughout the summer, uch as tomatoes and peppers.

"Spring is such a time of renewal and such a good opportunity, even if you've never gardened before, to get out there and try something new, whether it's one pot of pansies or whether it's one tomato plant," Musgrave said. "Give it a shot, and I don't think you'd ever regret it. "

Correction: Daffodils are planted in the fall and bloom in the spring. An earlier version of this story had incorrect information.