Ask someone when spring starts and you expect to hear around March 20-22, during the time of the Spring Equinox.

But here in Western Washington, the biggest transition generally occurs weeks earlier, generally during the past week in February or the first week of March.

Let me demonstrate this to you.

Consider lowland snow. The big stuff is all in January. We have enjoyed as much as 5 inches into early March, but only light snow after the first week of the month. No snow days after March 7. Sorry kids.

What about temperature?

Low temperatures stagnate until about Feb. 20, after which they steadily rise. The highs start to rise earlier.

What about temperature extremes?I have an interesting story for you there.

For Seattle, early February represents the end of really cold temps (15F or less) and after early March, the low 20s are unattainable. In January, highs have never reached the mid-60s but 80F has happened after the Ides of March.

This year the atmosphere seems antsy to go through the spring transition. In Seattle, temperatures will jump into the low to mid-50s by the end of the week.

And in Pasco, temperatures will surge to near 60F by next Monday.

The icing on the “spring transition” cake will be the beginning of Daily Savings Time on March 9.

The unbeatable combination of warmth and more evening sun.

The end of cold

I have very good news for the frozen residents of our region.

The cold period over Western Washington and Oregon is over probably for the remainder of the winter.

No more lowland snow. No more icy roads. No more heavy jackets.

Objectively, we have suffered through the coldest mid-winter in years.

For the period from Jan. 15 through Feb. 13, this was the coldest mid-winter in 50 years, with average daily temperature just above freezing.

No wonder my dog has not wanted to go outside.

But everything will now change.

Consider the surface temperature forecast for Seattle from NOAA/NWS for the next 10 days. No more freezing temperatures. No more highs in the 30s. At the end of the period, highs reach the mid-50s.

With the stronger sun, next weekend will feel like spring.

What about Eastern Washington you ask? At Pasco, in the Tri-Cities, they will have to tolerate below-freezing nighttime temperatures for the next week but by next weekend, highs will zoom into the mid-50s.

The 8-14 day temperature outlook is for warmer than normal conditions over the West — will that feel good.

And with the warmth will come moisture, with bountiful precipitation returning. Heavy just where we need it, the Olympics and the northern Cascades. Massive snow as well.

In short, a return to the warmer, wet conditions loved by true Northwesteners.