The vernal equinox this year falls on Tuesday, March 20. In the Northern Hemisphere, the day marks the start of spring. In the Southern Hemisphere, the same day marks the start of the autumnal equinox, or the beginning of fall. The word vernal comes from the Latin word vernalis, meaning “of the spring.” And equinox comes from the Latin words aequus, meaning equal, and nox, meaning night. The day has 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night time. On this day, people living in colder areas of the Northern Hemisphere hope they can put away their winter coats. They also may hope to begin planting flowers and vegetables in a garden. But for those of us in the northeastern United States, it may not exactly feel like the start of spring on March 20. Here, the first day of spring is expected to bring a snow storm.