Are there official dates for the start of each season?

Question

When I was young it seemed that life was so wonderful.....oops, no, sorry (got carried away, didn't mean to burst into song there) - when I was young I was lead to believe the seasons had a definitive "start" date - ie summer started 21 June, Autumn started 21st September, Winter started 21st December and Spring started 21st March. I keep hearing TV people saying it is autumn now so I'm a tad confused - can anyone throw any light on my mystery?

Sorry, I'm seasons in the UK part of the world.

Answer 1

Autumn officially begins on the Autumnal equinox which corresponds to the time in September of the year when the sun is directly above the equator.

This is usually the 20th or 21st.

Winter begins on the winter solstice which corresponds to the time the sun is directly above the tropic of Capricorn usually Dec. 20 or 21.

Spring begins at the Vernal Eqinox (sun above equator) March 20 or 21.

Summer starts with the Summer Solstice when the Sun is above the tropic of Cancer. June 21 or 22

Since the Autumnal equinox is soon upon us you should do the following experiment: On the autumnal equinox the sun will set due west. Check it out

Answer 2

Four Seasons
The date at which each of the four temperate season begins varies from culture to culture. In general there are three reckonings, "Astronomical", "Meteorological", and "Traditional".

Astronomical
In astronomical reckoning, the seasons begin at the solstices and equinoxes. The cross-quarter days are considered seasonal midpoints. The length of these seasons is not uniform because of the elliptical orbit of the earth and its different speeds along that orbit.

In the conventional United States calendar:

Winter (89 days) begins on 21-22 Dec, the winter solstice
Spring (92 days) on 20-21 Mar, the spring equinox
Summer (93 days) on 20-21 June, the summer solstice
Autumn (90 days) on 22-23 Sept, the autumn equinox
Because of the differences in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (see Meterological below), it is no longer considered appropriate to use the old northern-seasonal designations for the astronomical quarter days. The modern convention for them is:

The March Equinox
The June Solstice
The September Equinox
The December Solstice

Meteorological
Meteorological seasons are reckoned by temperature, with summer being the hottest quarter of the year, and winter the coldest quarter of the year.

Using this reckoning, the Ancient Roman calendar began the year and the spring season on the first of March, with each season occupying three months. This reckoning is also used in Denmark, the former USSR, and Australia. In modern United Kingdom and Ireland there are no hard and fast rules about seasons, and informally many people use this reckoning.

So, in meteorology for the Northern hemisphere:

spring begins on March 1,
summer on June 1,
autumn on September 1, and
winter on December 1.
Conversely, for the Southern hemisphere:

summer begins on December 1,
autumn on March 1,
winter on June 1, and
spring on September 1.

Traditional
Traditional seasons are reckoned by insolation, with summer being the quarter of the year with the greatest insolation, and winter the quarter with the least. These seasons begin about 4 weeks earlier than the Meteorological seasons, and 7 weeks earlier than the Astronomical seasons.

In Traditional reckoning, the seasons begin at the cross-quarter days. The solstices and equinoxes are the midpoints of these seasons. For example, the days of greatest and least insolation are considered the "midsummer" and "midwinter" respectively.

This reckoning is used by various traditional cultures in the Northern Hemisphere, including East Asian and Irish cultures.

Answer 3

Reading these answers I am even more confused. I come from the UK where they have Autumn. I'm now in Canada where they have 'Fall'. I just step outside and say, "Winter is setting in". That does me - does anyone tell the weather that it must change because it is now a change of season on a certain date?
But some interesting answers here....

Answer 4

Difference cultures use different definitions. But the equinox times and solstice times have "official" definitions. In USA, most people use these times as the start of the seasons. In other countries, they use them for the mid-seasons.

Most sources say that the equinoxes happens when the Sun is directly above the Equator. But in practice, the published time is when the Sun is at 0 or 180 degrees celestial longitude. For the years 1800 to 2200, the difference is less than 30 seconds.

Answer 5

• Spring begins Tuesday, 20 March 2012 • Summer begins Wednesday, 20 June 2012 • Autumn begins Saturday, 22 September 2012 • Winter begins Friday, 21 December 2012

Answer 6

Yes, there are set dates. Officially summer ends the 21st. However, if you hadnt noticed, it really isnt summer anymore. So it really depends on yhe distance aaway from the equator how long your summers and winters are. But since that all gets confusing it being summer in north africa and fall in the UK, they just set dates.

Answer 7

Different parts of the world have different seasons so to answer your first question....no