The previous image I posted was about averages for my home city, but they were recorded from 1981-2010. My dad (he's a lineman, so he has to work out in the weather all the time) has given me info on what he thinks were probably the hottest and coldest months in this decade. But this is just his perception, so please take it cautiously, and also consider humidity, solar radiation, wind, etc. if you decide to move to Tennessee: January: Frigid - Winter (2nd coldest) February: Frigid - Winter (coldest) March: Very Cold - Winter (3rd coldest) April: Warm - Spring (6th coldest) May: Somewhat Hot - Spring (5th hottest) June: Moderately Hot - Summer (3rd hottest) July: Sweltering - Summer (hottest, tied) August: Sweltering - Summer (hottest, tied) September: Moderately Hot - Summer (4th hottest) October: Warm - Autumn (6th hottest) November: Somewhat to Moderately Cold - Autumn (5th coldest) December: Somewhat to Moderately Cold - Autumn (4th coldest) I'm sorry if this color coding hurts your eyes.
I know I'm super late asking, I just kept forgetting although I've been meaning to, but when (to you) are each of those four Floridan "seasons"?
Kinda hot is feburary to March stupid hot is March to October. Hurricane season is June to November and not has hot sometimes is October to February.
Usually in February around this time it's just above freezing, but this winter has been very unusual. Snow in December, 70 degree (F) temperatures around now... it's very unusual.
Same here. January was also very snowy (more so than December), and November was uncomfortably and unusually cold but no snow. But for some reason, the seasonal lag here seems to be decreasing; I've noticed that (in the past few years) November has often been uncomfortably cold, February nice and warm, March has often had the storms and frosts that you'd "normally" expect in April, and it also seems like it's getting to a point where May might be hotter than September and June hotter than August (those things being unexpected too). I'm not sure what's to blame for this. Although, if the seasons immediately kept up with the amount of sunlight, it should be like this; except June would be hotter than July too, August wouldn't be as hot as May, and April would be hotter than September. Maybe the seasonal lag is somehow decreasing because of climate change? (Besides, I have heard of Season Creep - look it up if you're curious too.)
I have always accepted the conventional definition of the seasons, although I have also observed the solar and meteorological differences and take them into account when it makes sense. I often have thought it seemed illogical that the longest day of the year is the first day of summer or that the days get longer after the holiday season. At the same time, I see the temperature in winter and summer lagging behind the sun. I like to get outside for a short time at least once a day even if it is just a few minutes walking around the yard to see how plants are doing or whatever. As a result I see things like the trees' leaves starting to change in August and that I can't stay outside working on things as late because it is getting dark sooner. As it becomes more apparent I know I need to start thinking and working towards getting ready for the cold weather. At this time of year I see new buds starting to form on some trees even though it is still winter and often also see bugs waking up from dormancy on warmer days. I learned something last year that is related to the topic. Last year I thought I would try some marigolds around the edge of my garden since I have had rabbits getting in there and I have heard it discourages them. Because of the cost I wanted to use seeds instead of plants. I felt I needed to get them established before I planted other things for them to be effective but have no good place to start them inside. Since it was unusually warm last year I thought I would start some seeds in April rather than late May like I usually do. Not a single one came up. They were left over from the previous year so I thought maybe I would buy new seeds and try them. Nothing happened again. The second ones were from the dollar store so I thought I would get some from a garden store. The third set didn't sprout either. I didn't know what to think and planted my other stuff eventually in mid May, which was still early and left the marigolds as a mystery to be solved later. Of course, I had three different varieties of marigolds pop up shortly after everything else sprouted. Of course also, the rabbits ate the tops off of everything. A lot of it came back but some things, like the beans and peas never recovered. What I think I had overlooked was probably the most important thing plants need. Although it seemed warm and sunny to me, the plants needed more daily sunlight than they were getting at that time of year and did not just need to be safe from freezing. Although mother nature made me feel like a dummy I realized I could apply the lesson it taught me to a problem I have been having with bulbs, where they have not been growing as well as I expected. I noticed several times since I started trying to grow garlic that the snow would melt and it would sprout. Then the weather would get cold again and the tops would die off. It did not kill them, but I think this took resources away from the bulbs' development and as a result I never got bulbs I thought were big enough to harvest. This last fall I decided to cover them with a thick layer of leaves so that they will not get light until I am sure there will be no more frost. I did the same thing with some of my flowers in order to avoid any false starts with them also. I am hoping to see some good results this year.
Interesting! Two days ago I considered something... spring is coming up. But I now live in Amersfoort, and there aren't any sheep meadows around. How can it be spring without sheep? D:
I should have mentioned in my story that I associate the burst of plant growth I see every year with spring something like you associate sheep meadows with it. Little plant sprouts popping up, sometimes peeking through a bit of melting snow is like a promise and reminder of the warm weather I look forward to all Winter. I'm anxious to pull back all that leaf mulch I laid down last fall and watch everything pop up and reach for the sky. Here is a little something to tide you over until you are home again:
When I think of seasons, I usually tend to think more about the temperatures and biological processes than the day lengths, which is why I prefer the Meteorological definition over the Conventional and Solar ones. However, I do still recognize both of the latter two. EDIT: But I forgot to point out, when the biological responses to the seasons happen tends to depend on the latitude too. For example, in polar regions such as taigas and tundras, there aren't many plant species, and what few there are usually are in bloom from May through September only (except coniferous trees). While in subtropical regions such as the Mediterranean, California, the southeastern U.S. (including where I live), China, and southern Australia, the plant diversity is wider, Spring responses tend to happen earlier (for some plants, frogs, and ants, while it's still Winter), and Autumnal responses late, with there even being a few plant species that bloom or stay green all Winter (although many, but not all, of those tend to go dormant during the warmer months because it can get very muggy and extremely hot).
I'm sorry I'm late on this, but I understand. It seems like you live in a subpolar climate, which tend to get Winter-like weather anytime except Summer, and can be -40C/F or colder easily in November through March, and still are only somewhat warm (on average) during summer months. I think I've noticed that in subtropical regions, it's the opposite (the warmest half of the year being like a temperate region's summers, actual summer months being extremely hot, the Winters being cold but only modestly). Some good examples of places with subpolar climates: Canada (not Southern Canada) Russia (especially Siberia) Alaska Norway Iceland Some good examples of places with subtropical climates: Southwestern U.S. states (New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada) Texas (a U.S. state), as well as neighboring Oklahoma (also in the U.S.). In fact, all of Texas has a subtropical climate, no matter where in the state you go (I saw large palm trees growing outside when I went to Dallas in April 2016). Eastern China (not near the northern border) South Asia (except India) South Africa The Meditteranean The Sahara desert Australia (except Northern Australia) The Southeastern U.S. states (Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, except southern Florida). The U.S. capital, Washington, D.C., also has a subtropical climate and is in the Southeast. Highland regions of the Mexican Rockies Argentina Southern Brazil And an interesting question for those of you who have read this far in the thread: Would you prefer a subpolar, subtropical, or normal temperate climate? (If you live in a tropical or polar climate, don't feel too pressured to answer, as this thread may be irrelevant for you in that case.)
I live where the seasons are very distinct. Summer days can be in the 90s or more and winter days below zero with feet of snow. I believe the closest reflection of when seasons change are by the calendar months. So winter is Dec-Feb, spring Mar-May, summer June-Aug, and fall Sept-Nov.
That would be the Meteorological definition, which is the one I go by primarily, but not the only one I recognize as "true".
