March came in with a lion’s roar, with temperatures only reaching mid to high 30s.

As the spring Equinox arrived on Wednesday, March 20, the temperature soared toward 66 degrees.

The science website EarthSky explained the equinox like this, “At the equinox, Earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the sun’s rays equally. Night and day are often said to be equal in length. In fact, the word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night).”

Under the warm spring sun, birds and bees spread their wings and flocked to the newly blooming flowers.

People donned T-shirts, shorts and sunglasses in the heat. A few brave souls put on bathing suits and went paddle boarding off Jackson Beach. Along the shore, excited pups raced into the sea to cool themselves down.

Along the waterfront in Friday Harbor, students gathered to enjoy the warmer weather, eating ice cream and climbing trees.

The record high for March 20, was reached at 66 degrees, according to Weather.com, while the record low is below freezing at 22 degrees.

Meteorologist Cliff Mass’ weather and climate blog noted that soils though Washington have also warmed up, although, he warned, Eastern Washington soils remain in the 30s, which may stall the agriculture season east of the Cascades.

While storm Vaughn is predicted to slam into the east coast bringing wind, rain and snow, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting weather in the San Juans to remain pretty mild — 55 degrees with a mix of sun and rain.

So keep your sunglasses and umbrella within reach for all the summer weather to come.