23-09-2016 15:09 via phys.org

Meteorological versus astronomical seasons

You may have noticed that meteorologists and climatologists define seasons differently from "regular" or astronomical spring, summer, fall, and winter. So, why do meteorological and astronomical seasons begin and end at different times? In short, it's because the astronomical seasons are based on the position of Earth in relation to the sun, whereas the meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle.
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