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| The actual dates vary depending on the year from March 21 to June 20 or 21 for Northern hemisphere and from September 20 or 21 to December 20 or 21 for the Southern hemisphere. | The actual dates vary depending on the year from March 21 to June 20 or 21 for Northern hemisphere and from September 20 or 21 to December 20 or 21 for the Southern hemisphere. | ||
| ==Causes and consequences== | |||
| {{seealso|Effect of sun angle on climate}} | |||
| As in summer, the axis of the ] is tilted toward the ], and the length of daylight days rapidly increases as latitude increases. The ] begins to warm significantly, causing new plant growth to "spring forth", giving the season its name. ] begins to melt, and ]s swell with runoff and spring rains. Most flowering plants bloom this time of year, in a long succession beginning even when snow is still on the ground, and continuing into early summer. In normally snowless areas, "spring" may begin as early as February during warmer years, with ] areas having very subtle differences, and ] ones none at all. ] areas may not experience "spring" at all until May or even June, or December in the outer ]. | |||
| ], ]]] | ], ]]] | ||
| ] in spring]] | ] in spring]] | ||
| ]s in spring]] | ]s in spring]] | ||
| ] most often occurs during the spring, when warm air begins to invade from lower ]s while cold air is still pushing from the ]s. Flooding is also most common in and near mountainous areas during this time of year because of snowmelt, many times accelerated by warm rains. In the ], ] is most active by far this time of year, especially since the ] prevent the surging hot and cold air masses from spreading eastward and instead force them directly at each other. Besides ]es, ]s can also produce dangerously large ] and very high winds, for which a ] or ] is usually issued. Even more so than winter, the ]s play an important role in severe weather in the springtime. | |||
| The ] season officially begins in late spring, on ] in the northeastern ] and ] in the northern ]. Before these dates, hurricanes are almost unheard of and even tropical storms are rare, one of the earliest ever being ] in mid-April 2003. Even in June, hurricanes are uncommon because 21 of June's days are spring. | |||
| Spring is seen as a time of growth, renewal, of new life (both plant and animal) being born. The term is also used more generally as a metaphor for the start of better times, as in ]. | |||
| The first day of spring is the beginning of the new year, ] , in ] and is celebrated in ] (Persia). | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 01:30, 17 March 2008
Spring is one of the four temperate seasons. Spring falls between winter and summer.
Dates
There are different views on when the season starts and finishes.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that spring comprises "in the northern hemisphere usually the months of March, April, May, or as reckoned astronomically extending from the vernal equinox (March 20) to the June solstice (June 20).". The Southern Hemisphere experiences spring during the months of August, September, October.
The actual dates vary depending on the year from March 21 to June 20 or 21 for Northern hemisphere and from September 20 or 21 to December 20 or 21 for the Southern hemisphere.
References
- "Spring". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
External links
- Word Lore
- Online Etymology Dictionary
- Glossary of Meteorology
- Solstice, Equinox & Cross-Quarter Moments for 2008 and other years, for several timezones
- Earth's Seasons, Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion, 2000–2020 (from the United States Naval Observatory's Astronomical Applications Department)
- Seasons and Seasonal Cusps as Pagan and Religious Holidays (from Archaeoastronomy)
- What day does spring start? (BBC,UK News Magazine)
| Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Temperate seasons | ||
| Tropical seasons | ||
| Specific | ||
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