It’s Spring! The vernal equinox. While most statesiders are excited for warm sunny days to come, those living in the tropics are not quite as thrilled to see the end of “winter.” Spring on St. Croix and the surrounding islands usually means the end of the season. The time of year when tourism starts to wane and the snowbirds start to flock back to their primary residences in the states. The Christmas winds (which are anticipated almost as much as the holiday itself), also start to die off. The cooler tropical days starts to give way to the mid- to upper-80 degree highs, which are common in the Spring and Summer.
What exactly is the vernal equinox, besides just a name for the first day of Spring? The vernal equinox is the moment when the sun crosses the equator, or more accurately, it is the point at which the earth is not tilted towards or away from the sun. Instead the equator is the closest parallel of earth to the sun. From today until the middle of the Summer, when the Tropic of Cancer is the closest parallel part of Earth, the days in the northern hemisphere will continue to get longer.
Here in St. Croix, the sunrise and sunset times don’t vary nearly as much as they do in the northern latitudes. The first day of Spring on St. Croix saw a sunset time of 6:29 p.m., whereas the longest day of the year is only slightly longer, with a sunset time of 6:59 p.m. If you were in Wisconsin, you would have seen the sunset at 6:07 p.m. on the first day of Spring, but by the time the Summer solstice comes around, the sun won’t be setting until 7:41 p.m. (42 extra minutes of light). But parents on-island rejoice in the earlier sunset time, as it encourages little ones to bed earlier. We don’t recognize daylight savings time on St. Croix… it keeps life simple to just leave the clocks alone year-round.
So while the days might be getting a little longer and hotter now that Spring is here, it just means there is more time each day to sneak away to the beach to cool off in the crystal clear, turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Here on St. Croix every day is a day to look forward to, and the weather is always great for the surf and sand. If you’re ready to move to America’s Paradise, contact Chris and Kerri Hanley for expertise on Virgin Islands real estate. Start by downloading their complimentary St. Croix Event Guide to find an ideal time for a long visit: