Spring has sprung! Today (Wednesday March 1) officially marks the meteorological start of spring and following the weather that was thrown at us over the winter months, many will be glad to see the back of the coldest and darkest season.

Most of the the country was battered by four storms over the winter, with the most recent Storm Ewan, which was named by the Irish Met Office, making it a total of five.

Last week, Storm Doris tore through the capital, bringing down trees and closing some of London's transport network, but could today mark the start of a new weather outlook?

A carpet of crocuses in full bloom at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Some may argue that it is not officially spring yet as in the astronomical calender, March 20 marks the start of spring.

Either way, we can all agree that it is about time we saw some drier and sunnier weather.

And according to Ruth McCarthy on Twitter, the sights of spring are already upon us in Ealing.

Why do the Met Office name March the start of spring?

The Met Office split all of the months of the year into groups of three, making up the four seasons.

March, April and May fall into spring, June, July and August make up the summer months, September, October and November are autumn and winter is made up of December, January and February.

According to the Met Office website, the seasons are split up for statistical reasons: "These seasons are split to coincide with our Gregorian calendar making it easier for meteorological observing and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics."

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What does the weather have in store for us for the start of spring?

Last spring was rather warm, with above average temperatures recorded in the UK in May.

Towards the start of May last year, 27.1°C was recorded in west London at St James's Park and Northolt.

But we do start the spring this year with temperatures significantly lower than that.

According to the Met Office, in London tonight (March 1), we can expect "clear spells and a chance of some blustery showers."

"A noticeably windy night with gales mainly affecting hills and coasts," the forecaster goes on to say.

It will be feeling cold, with lows of 5°C overnight.

On Thursday, March 2, the forecast says: "Winds slowly easing with further showers possible and some bright or sunny spells.

"Increasingly cloudy later in the day, with rain in some places"

So all in all, for London, spring is starting with a mix of sunshine and showers and feeling cold, with highs of just 9°C in the capital today (March 1).

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