Summer
Summer is a
season, astronomically defined as beginning around
June 21, and ending around
September 21 in the
Northern Hemisphere. In the
Southern Hemisphere, summer begins around
December 21 and ends around
March 21. Summer is defined by convention in
meteorology as the whole months of June, July, and August, in the
Northern Hemisphere, and the whole months of December, January, and February, in the
Southern Hemisphere. The unofficial start of summer is a matter of convention: in Ireland it is as early as
May 1, in many countries it is considered to be
June 1, while in others it is as late as
July 1. In general, seasonal changes occur earlier in coastal regions, so countries close to the oceans go for an earlier start to summer than inland ones. Summer is commonly viewed as the season with the longest (and warmest) days of the year, in which the daylight predominates, through varying degrees. In the northern latitudes, twilight is known to last at least an hour, sometimes leading to the famous
white nights found in St. Petersburg and Scandinavia.
It is also called the season of the midnight sun near the North Pole; in Iceland for instance.
For many people in the West, the seasons are considered to start at the
equinoxes and
solstices in an "astronomical" sense. However, due to the phenomenon of
seasonal lag, the "meteorological" start of the season precedes, by about three weeks, the start of the "astronomical" season. This time differential keeps the "meteorologial" definition more symmetrically centered around the warmest part of the year than the "astronomical one" is. Today, the "meteorological" definition is gaining momentum, but the "astronomical" definition is more frequent, and most people today still regard it as "official". In fact, the equinoxes and solstices of the astronomical seasons are considered to be the naturally official beginnings of seasons. The astronomical seasons still appear on most calendars. Elsewhere, however, the solstices and the equinoxes are taken to mark the mid-points, not the beginning, of the seasons. In Chinese
astronomy, for example, summer starts on or around
May 6, with the
jiéqì (
solar term) known as 立夏 (
lì xià), i.e. "establishment of summer".
In Southern and Southeast Asia where the
monsoon occurs, summer is more generally defined as March to May or early June, their warmest time of the year, ending with the onset of the monsoon rains.
In most countries children are out of school during this time of year, although dates vary. Some begin as early as mid-May, although in England, from the ages of 5-16, school ends in the middle of July.
|
Cherries, one of many summer fruits. |
Summer is also the season in which many
fruits,
vegetables, and other
plants are in full growth.
There are several cultural associations with summer.
Commercials touting summer may involve
Beach imagery, including
bathing suits,
beach balls and
surf boards. Summer clothings accounts for the effects of increased heat and sunshine, including but not limited to:
shorts,
tee shirts,
sun dresses,
sunglasses, and
sandals.
In the
United States,
Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff for summer and
Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, with other peak summer travel occurring over
July 4 weekend. Because schools let out in the summer, this season is common for
travel, such as
road trips. As a result of
supply and demand, gas prices tend to increase in the Summer. Many students get
summer jobs.
In late summer,
back to school sales are common.
Movies
Since the late 1990s in North America, likely due to release of summer
blockbusters beginning the first Friday in May, there has been an increasing trend for businesses to begin summer promotions on May 1 in order to get a head start on tourists. This is likely due to the fact that although May is the typically only the fifth warmest month in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the third largest month of daylight hours. In addition, with an earlier start of the back-to-school promotional period along with the trend of having the last day of school before Memorial Day in many states forces many retailers to push summer ahead, along with the fact that summer is typically the most long-awaited season.
Image:Ambrogio Lorenzetti 009.jpg|Summer, a fresco by Ambrogio LorenzettiImage:Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Summer, 1573.jpg|An allegory by Giuseppe Arcimboldo*
Indian summer*
Autumn*
Winter*
Spring*
"Summer of animals and plants in Finland" by Northern Nature Project
*
The seasons do not begin at the time of the solstice or equinox (from the
Bad Astronomer)
nds-nl:Zoemer
