Question for you northern hemispherites....I notice on the 2010 Olds Calendar that Jerry put together that March 20th is the first day of Spring up there ?? Our seasons go with the 1st of the month (1st March was the start of Autumn) Then on 21st June your summer starts when our Winter has been happening for 3 weeks. I never knew that.
Maybe the Eurpoean members could enlighten me as to what happens there also.
I'd just assumed our Summer was your Winter etc but not so it appears. As far as I can tell right now it's Still Winter in your world and Fall in mine.
Unless of course the timing is a little retarded in Jerry's calendar.

 

You guys are jumping the gun galactically. I don't know why they would start seasons on the first of the month there? The seasons are determined by the equinox or solstice which is always somewhere around the 21st of the respective month in these here parts of the universe.
It's been in the 50's here all this week and is supposed to get warmer, spring has sprung.

 

Seasonal weather differences between hemispheres are further caused by the elliptical orbit of Earth. Earth reaches perihelion (the point in its orbit closest to the Sun) in January, and it reaches aphelion (farthest point from the Sun) in July. Even though the effect this has on Earth's seasons is minor, it does noticeably soften the northern hemisphere's winters and summers. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite effect is observed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season#Causes_and_effects

 

Colonel.... I don't pay any attention to what's on the calendar! I know when it says "winter begins" it's been snowy and cold already, and when it says "spring begins" it's still snowy and cold! LOL!! Just kidding.... Today it's going up to 62 degrees.... the sun has been out for the last 7 days - a rare occurance - the Robins and Red wing black birds are back and singing away - the deer are eating my crocus' that are coming up... buds are out on some of the trees and bushes...yep, spring is springing!!

We had the 2nd snowiest February on record here, according to the weather people. The piles of snow are still everywhere, but the rain we're supposed to get should knock them down pretty quick. You can see the yard now... ours is like a lake! They say temps to be in the 40's next week, but who knows? I'm just enjoying the sun and warmth we have right now!

Did you get the Handsomest One yet???

 

Colonel, when you flush, which direction does it spin???

 

Some interesting points and questions there:
B/Vista (nice new avatar by the way) Sounds logical but then why do other Northerners not observe the same principal?

To Aces High's point, if earth reaches it's closest point to the sun in January and its furthest in July, then we southern hemispherites got it right. Jan is the middle of summer & July the middle of winter.
No wonder you guys think seasons start 3 weeks later.....you're on the wrong side of the world.

Sandy: 62 degrees fahrenheit is bloody freezing. Hope the lake subsides and the Prettiest One is OK after hibernation. Handsomest One arrives in Sydney tomorrow but it will take some time clearing customs etc. Hopefully next week

& 71 Rocket..... when we flush it doesn't spin...it get's sucked straight down. Without getting too illustrative, our toilets do not fill up like yours before they empty (at least that's what I encountered when I was over your way many years ago). If ours fill up after hitting the flush button it means it's clogged.
However, I can inform you that water will spin in either direction depending on the surface of the bowl, sink or whatever.
The "Coriolis Effect" has been scientifically proven not to effect the direction water flows down a drain in either hemisphere so the old belief that it spins clockwise down here and anti-clockwise up there has been disproven.....something I did not know until googling it because I just tested the kitchen sink and bathroom sink and I was sure they were spinning in different directions.

I shall raise the Coriolis Effect at the pub tonight..should get a few interesting responses from the local rednecks.

 

Thanks, I can sleep better now.

 

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To Aces High's point, if earth reaches it's closest point to the sun in January and its furthest in July, then we southern hemispherites got it right. Jan is the middle of summer & July the middle of winter.
No wonder you guys think seasons start 3 weeks later.....you're on the wrong side of the world.


The differences in summer and winter weather is due to the amount of daylight hours. During the summer we have longer amounts of daylight just the same as you do during your summer. The reason for the difference in summer according to calender ( ours starting in june ...yours in Jan.) is due to the earth spinning on a tilted axis. If the earth were straight up and down ( north to south ) in relation to the sun 365 days a year then we would all be the same.

 

That's a little Too Much Info for me to process!! As long as it's hot and sunny, I know it's summer!!!!

Colonel... I hope all goes well! I'm so excited for you!!! I can't wait to see detailed pictures of him! LOL!!

 

Guess I got it good as it's summer all year long here.

 

while that may be true , don't your seasons revolve around wet or dry?

 

Winter and summer have always been defined to start with the solstice. Lately, there have been other "unofficial" definitions. For example, here in the US, "summer" can be the time between the Memorial Day (late May) and Labor Day (early Sept) holidays. That has nothing to do with science and everything to do with the tourism industry. I recently heard one TV weather forecaster say that March 1 was the start of "meteorlogical spring". That was a new one on me.

 

Depends on what part of Thailand one is living in. In the south it rains a lot and there is a rainy season. I live in the northeast highlands and the climate is quite different up here. First, the rainy "season" for us in mid Aug through mid Oct and it might rain 2 to 6 hours a day and the highs are in the 80's. March through July the chances of rain are 10 to 30% and usually late evening showers cooling things down. The humidity here is quite low as opposed to the high humidity in the south. Right now its 88 and the humidity is 25%. Played 18 holes of golf today. I really think this is Paradise.

 

Colonel, The Mayans said we'll all die come the winter solstice (Dec 21, 2012). If your winter solstice is in June then one of two things will happen. You'll either die earlier (June 2012) or later (June 2013).

Now if the poles shift as they suggest, Canada will be tropical and with the islands in the Arctic we'll have more warm water beaches than we'll know what to do with. We will however send all our winter stuff to you Aussies.

With all that snow you'll be getting, I guess you'll now own 25% of the worlds fresh water (no more car washing bans). On December 21, 2012, I'll be standing on an Arctic island in my bathing suit so as to get a good spot before everyone else gets there.

 

I think you've got more of rain/no rain instead of winter/summer. Oops, didn't read post #13.

 

I've heard this, too. "Meteorological" spring is March, April, and May, meteorological summer is June, July, and August, and etc. for meteorological fall and winter. From what I can gather, they do this because of when the weather is actually more summer-like, more fall-like, etc.

Remember, for example, that the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere is when the sun has reached it's farthest point north of the equator (directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which is at 23.5 degrees north latitude). Technically, the warmest weather, then, should occur for about equal amounts of time before and after this date, and the warmest day of the year overall should be June 21. So, technically, summer should be from about May 1 to about August 1 as those dates are roughly 45 days before and after the solstice and technically should be the warmest of the year.

But this isn't what happens because the earth's atmosphere and oceans are reservoirs of heat that change temperature slowly. So surface temperatures lag the position of the sun over the earth by a little bit. Thus the warmer days of the year peak a bit AFTER the summer solstice, not ON the solstice, and the coldest days of the year peak some time after the winter solstice.

 

....but on Dec 21, 2012 you'll be dead according to the Mayans. Of course if they're wrong and the poles don't shift either, then you could look a little out of place standing on an Arctic Island in your bathing suit.And if you did head north in your bathers on 21/12/2012 the Mayans would be right because you'd freeze to death. A self fulfilling prophecy I guess.