ROCHESTER, N.Y. — News10NBC TODAY counted down to the start of spring, which officially got underway at 5:01 a.m. on Thursday.

For First Alert Meteorologist Nate Morris, spring is his favorite season. He explains why the vernal (Latin word for spring) equinox marks the start of the season. For most of the year, the amount of daylight and nighttime that people around the world see is unequal. That’s because of the tilt of the Earth.

But twice a year, including during the vernal equinox, the sun is directly over the equator, leading to nearly equal day and night lengths worldwide. The other time this happens is during the fall equinox.

Since the Dec. 21 winter solstice, Western New York has gained 3 hours at 14 minutes of daylight and we’ll keep gaining 3 minutes a day. The summer solstice will mark the official start of summer, when the Earth’s tilt toward the sun is at its maximum. It marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.