When Do The Four Seasons Start And End

The start and end dates of the four seasons depend on whether you use the astronomical

1. The Meteorological Definition (Simple & Fixed)

Meteorologists (weather scientists) divide the year into four neat seasons made up of three full months each. This makes calculating weather statistics and averages much easier.

What happens: The winter solstice has the fewest hours of daylight. The North Pole is tilted farthest from the sun. Ironically, this is when the "cold season" officially begins astronomically, even though many locations have already experienced freezing weather. when do the four seasons start and end

Meteorological seasons — clean calendar blocks for climate science

Definition

Solstice: The day with the most (Summer) or least (Winter) daylight. The start and end dates of the four

Southern Hemisphere: swap spring/summer/fall/winter. For instance, the December solstice is the start of summer there.

definition (based on the calendar and temperature cycles). Because Earth is tilted, seasons are reversed between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2026 Seasonal Dates What happens: The winter solstice has the fewest

What happens: On the vernal equinox, the sun crosses directly over the Earth's equator. Day and night are nearly equal in length (about 12 hours each). After this point, the Northern Hemisphere begins to tilt toward the sun, leading to longer days and warming temperatures.