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The four seasons of the year: spring,

summer, autumn (fall) and winter
By Nola Taylor Redd Contributions from Alina Bradford, Daisy Dobrijevic
References
published February 11, 2022

The four seasons have very di!erent characteristics.

 

Seasons are periods of the year with distinct weather conditions and day lengths. (Image credit:
RADsan via Getty Images)

Seasons are periods of the year with distinct weather conditions and day
lengths.

The four seasons — winter, spring, summer, autumn — can vary signi"cantly in
characteristics and can prompt changes in the world around them. Here, we
explore the seasons of the year in more detail.

Attributes of the seasons may vary by location, but there are still broad
de"nitions that cross most of the boundaries.

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MOST READ MOST SHARED

SPRING

In the spring, seeds take root and vegetation begins to grow. The weather is
warmer and often wetter. Animals wake or return from warmer climates, often
with newborns. Melting snow from the previous season, along with increased
rainfall, can cause #ooding along waterways, according to the Federal 1 Lost photos suggest Mars'
mysterious moon Phobos may
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
be a trapped comet in disguise

SUMMER
2 Ramesses II's sarcophagus
finally identified thanks to
In the summer, temperatures may increase to the hottest of the year. If they overlooked hieroglyphics
spike too high, heat waves or droughts may cause trouble for people, animals,
and plants. For example, in the summer of 2003, the high temperatures claimed
more than 30,000 lives, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Rainfall may 3 Scientists may have finally
solved the problem of the
increase in some areas, as well. Others may receive less water, and forest "res universe’s 'missing' black holes
may become more frequent.

When does summer start?

4 World's 1st carved horse: The
35,000-year-old ivory figurine
from Vogelherd cave
In the Northern Hemisphere, summer starts on June 1 and runs to August 31

What is the hottest summer on record?

5 Elusive 'octopus squid' with
world's largest biological lights
attacks camera in striking new
Historically, the heatwave during the Dust Bowl Summer of 1936 was considered video
the hottest summer on record, but in 2021 the average summer temperature of
the contiguous U.S. was 74.0 degrees Fahrenheit (23.3 degrees Celsius), 2.6
degrees above average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA).
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AUTUMN (FALL)

In the autumn, or fall, temperatures cool again. Plants may begin to grow
dormant. Animals might prepare themselves for the upcoming cold weather,
storing food or traveling to warmer regions.

Various cultures have celebrated bountiful harvests with annual festivals.

Thanksgiving is a good example. "Thanksgiving in the United States is a historical
commemoration but it has a spiritual dimension strongly associated with
homecoming and giving praise for what has been bestowed upon us," Cristina
De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London, told Live
Science.

Why is it called autumn instead of fall?

Both 'autumn' and 'fall' are words used in the English language to describe the
season that starts on 1 September in the Northern Hemisphere, with fall being
commonly used in American English. According to Dictionary.com, the
word autumn comes from the old French word 'autompne', which itself
originated from the Latin 'autumnus'. The roots of the Latin name are obscure,
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but it was "rst recorded in the English language from the late 1300s.

WINTER

Winter often brings a chill. Some areas may experience snow or ice, while others
see only cold rain. Animals "nd ways to warm themselves and may have
changed their appearance to adapt. "In a similar way to the Autumnal theme,
Winter festivals celebrate the return of the light during a time of deepest
physical darkness," said De Rossi. The Indian festival of Diwali, for example,
which takes place between October and November, celebrates the triumph of
righteousness, and light over darkness.

Is winter the longest season?

Although it is easy to imagine the seasons neatly "tting into four equal lengths,
according to NPR this isn't quite the case, they are all slightly di$erent — and
their duration changes depending on which hemisphere you are in.

Due to the elliptical orbit of Earth around the sun, at certain points in the year
the planet is moving faster and shortening the season. However, the distance
from our star has less impact on Earth's seasons than the planet's tilt, which
means that summers are warm in the Northern Hemisphere despite being
further from the sun. As it is moving slower, the spring-summer season is also
actually longer, by about seven days.

SEASONS ARE NOT THE SAME EVERYWHERE

The timing and characteristics of the seasons depend upon the location on
Earth. Regions near the equator experience fairly constant temperatures
throughout the year, with balmy winters barely discernible from warm summers.
This is because it gets fairly constant light from the sun, due to its position on
the outer curve of the Earth, according to the Atmospheric Radiation
Measurement (ARM) program.

For areas to the north and south, the seasons can change more signi"cantly.
People closer to the poles might experience icier, more frigid winters, while
those closer to the equator might su$er hotter summers.

Other factors can also a$ect the weather

METEOROLOGICAL SEASON Advertisement
and temperature over the seasons; some DATES: NORTHERN
areas experience dry summers as HEMISPHERE
EXPAND NORTHSTAR
temperatures spike, while others might 
call summer their "wet season." A wet

North Star
According to Time and Date:
season is when a majority of a country or – Spring: March 1 to May 31;
region's annual precipitation occurs, – Summer: June 1 to August 31;

| 13-16 OCT
according to the Met O%ce. – Autumn (Fall): September 1 to
November 30
Mountainous regions might experience
– Winter: December 1 to

Dubai
more snowfall than plains within the
February 28 (February 29 in a
same latitude, while oceanfront property leap year).
could see an increase in violent tropical
storms as the weather shifts.
Secure funding from
The time of year a region experiences a season depends on whether it is in the 1,000+ global investors in
northern or southern hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere experiences
the global tech and trade
winter while its northern neighbors encounter summer; the north sees the slow
blossom of spring while the south brings in the autumn harvest.
hub of Dubai.

WHAT CAUSES THE SEASONS?

VERNALEQUINOX

20MARCH

SUMMERSOLSTICE SPRING
JUNE21 Open

SUMMER WINTER

WINTERSOLSTICE•
DECEMBER.21
AUTUMN

AUTUMNALEQUINOX
23SEPTEMBER

The cycle of seasons is caused by Earth's tilt toward the sun. (Image credit: KajaNi via Getty Images)

The cycle of seasons is caused by our planet's tilt toward the sun. The Earth
spins around an (invisible) axis. At di$erent times during the year, the northern
or southern axis is closer to the sun. During these times, the hemisphere tipped Advertisement
toward the star experiences summer, while the hemisphere tilted away from the
sun experiences winter, according to NOAA. EXPAND NORTHSTAR

At other locations in Earth's annual journey, the axis is not tilted toward or away
from the sun. During these times of the year, the hemispheres experience spring
and autumn.
North Star
The astronomical de"nition of the seasons relates to speci"c points in Earth's | 13-16 OCT
trip around the sun. The summer and winter solstice, the longest and shortest
day of the year, occurs when Earth's axis is either closest or farthest from the
sun. The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs around June 21,
Dubai
the same day as the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, according to
NOAA. The south's summer solstice occurs around December 21, the winter Secure funding from
solstice for the north. In both hemispheres, the summer solstice marks the "rst 1,000+ global investors in
day of astronomical summer, while the winter solstice is considered the "rst day the global tech and trade
of astronomical winter.
hub of Dubai.
Equinoxes are another signi"cant day during Earth's journey around the sun. On
these days, the planet's axis is pointed parallel to the sun, rather than toward or
away from it. Day and night during the equinoxes are supposed to be close to
equal. The spring, or vernal, equinox for the northern hemisphere takes place
around March 20, the same day as the south's autumnal equinox. The vernal
equinox in the southern hemisphere occurs around September 20, when people
in the north celebrate the autumnal equinox. The vernal equinox marks the "rst
day of astronomical spring for a hemisphere, while the autumnal equinox ushers
in the "rst day of fall. Open

But changes in the weather often

RELATED STORIES:
precede these signi"cant points. The
meteorological seasons focus on these 
changes, "tting the seasons to the three – Seasonal A$ective Disorder:
months that best usher them in. SAD symptoms and therapy
– 9 allergy season symptoms
December to February marks
– Cicadas: Facts about the loud,
meteorological winter in the Northern
seasonal insects
Hemisphere and meteorological summer
in the southern. March, April, and May
are lauded as spring or autumn,
depending on the location, while June through August are the months of
summer for the north and winter for the south. September, October, and
November conclude the cycle, ushering in fall in northern regions and spring in Advertisement
southern, according to NOAA.
INDUSIND BANK
The seasons can bring a wide variety to the year for those locations that
experience them in full. The weather in each one may allow people to engage in
activities that they cannot perform in others — skiing in the winter, swimming in
the summer. Each season brings with it its own potential dangers, but also its
No joining
or annual
own particular brand of beauty.

fees
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the seasons in more detail with this educational material from Lumen
Learning. Earth is not the only planet with seasons, if you would like to learn
more about seasons on other planets check out this article from NASA. Discover Get instant approval on a
what causes the seasons with this informative piece from the National Weather Lifetime Free IndusInd
Service.
Bank Platinum Credit
Card
BIBLIOGRAPHY

De Paor, Declan G., et al. "Exploring the reasons for the seasons using Google
Earth, 3D models, and plots." International Journal of Digital Earth 10.6 (2017):
582-603.
Khavrus, Vyacheslav, and Ihor Shelevytsky. "Geometry and the physics of
seasons." Physics Education 47.6 (2012): 680.
Yolen, Jane. Ring of Earth: A Child's Book of Seasons. StarWalk Kids Media, Apply Now
2014.

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Nola Taylor Redd

Live Science Contributor

Nola Taylor Redd is a contributing writer for Live Science and Space.com.
She combines her degrees in English and Astrophysics to write about
science, with an emphasis on all things space-related.

With contributions from

Alina Bradford Live Science Contributor

Daisy Dobrijevic Reference Channel Editor, Space.com

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