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This is partially in response to a request in a thread that's now closed, but it's a good thing to have around in general anyway.
First, it's important to remember that seasons are defined by astronomical phenomena, due to the Earth's tilt on its axis. In the northern hemisphere, summer begins at the summer solstice, which is when the sun reaches the northernmost extreme in its arc across the sky. The summer solstice is thus the day with the longest amount of sunlight, as the sun is traveling a relatively longer arc across the sky, and the Earth is rotating at a more-or-less constant speed. Winter begins at the winter solstice, which is just the opposite--the southernmost extreme of the sun in its arc across the sky, and the day with the shortest amount of sunlight.
The beginning of summer coincides with the sun being directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, in the northern hemisphere, and the beginning of winter coincides with the sun being directly overhead at the Topic of Capricorn, in the southern hemisphere.
The vernal and atumnal equinoxes occur when the sun is directly overhead at the equator, halfway between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. For North America, it's when the sun is at its midpoint arc--halfway between the northernmost extreme and the southernmost extreme. Halway between winter and summer is the vernal equinox, or the beginning of spring. Halfway between summer and winter is the autumnal equinox, or the beginning of fall.
In the southern hemisphere, by the way, it's just the opposite. Their summer begins when the sun is at the southernmost extreme of its arc, their winter when the sun is at the northernmost extreme, etc. So their summer begins in December, autumn in March, winter in June, and spring in September.
This is true regardless of where you are on the Earth, although if you're more or less right ON the equator (for example, in Quito, Ecuador), summer and winter are effectively the same, as are spring and fall, and the sun is at the lowest point in the sky on the solstices, whereas it's directly overhead at the equinoxes (wheras in the northern hemisphere, north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun is at the highest point in the sky at the summer solstice). Many places almost right on the equator only have temperature variations throughout the year that are a degree or two. A common misconception though is that everyplace on the equator is hot--that's not at all true, and you find a very wide variety of biomes on the equator.
At any rate, the difference in the sun's path across the sky is what fuels average temperature differences, with higher temperatures around the summer solstice (and especially following it) and the lowest temperatures around the winter solstice (and especially following it). This is as true in Florida as it is anywhere else in the US.
You also have to remember that Florida is a very large state--from Key West to Fernandina Beach is 541 miles--further than the distance from New York City to Raleigh, North Carolina, and just shorter than the distance from New York City to Fredericton, New Brunswick. So there are very different climates and biomes even within the state.
In the northern part of the state, there is about a 30 degree temperature difference between average highs and lows in the summer and winter. For example, in Madison, the average high to low span for July and August is 91-70. In January, it's 64-41. But even Key West, which is only 72 miles north of the Tropic of Cancer, has about a 15 degree temperature difference between average highs and lows, with 89-79 July through September and 74-65 in January. By contrast, Raleigh, NC has only a 40 degree span between summer and winter averages (only 10 degrees more than Northern Florida), and Boston has a 46 degree difference in the highs and a 44 degree difference in the lows--only 14 degrees difference in the low spans from Northern Florida. Which is less than the difference between Northern Florida and Key West. Of course, everything in between a city like Madison and Key West is going to have temperature variations more or less somewhere between the two, given that those are the northern and southern extremes of the state.
Florida certainly gets hot in the summer, but it can get cold--and even snow--in the winter. In January of 2008, Daytona Beach had snow flurries. A couple years before, Orlando had snow. The snow doesn't stick, but it's snow nonetheless. Florida regularly gets hard frosts. This has been a recurrent problem for orange growers--even putting quite a few out of business. It turned out that a state thought to have perfect growing conditions for citrus is often a bit too cold, so the citrus industry isn't nearly as big as it once was in the sate, although there is still citrus gown in Florida, of course--but primarily by companies large enough to have the technological and financial means to overcome the periodic frosts.
The seasons in Florida are further defined by its flora. Pansies bloom in the winter. Chickabiddy blooms from early spring through later fall. Cheddar pink blooms from mid spring to early fall. Diascia blooms from summer to fall. Johnny Jump-Ups bloom in the winter--until there's a hard freeze. There are tens of examples that could be given here.
And contrary to popular belief, some leaves do change color in the fall and winter in Florida. Of course, all that you need to trigger leaf changes is cooler temperatures, and as we've just seen, Florida has more temperature variation than many people believe--and that was temperature averages. The low temperature--even in South Florida--can easily drop down into the 40s or even 30s (or lower) for a few days, and that triggers changes in plants.
Trees and other plants that regularly produce differently colored leaves in the late fall or winter in Florida include red maple, sugarberry, persimmon, sweet gum, black cherry, Florida maple, flowering dogwood, sorrel, sassafras, sweet shrub, summer sweet, oakleaf hydrangea, Virginia willow, leatherwood, and Viriginia creeper. These plants produce leaves that are yellow, red, purple, orange, etc.
Culturally, many Florida residents also engage in the usual holiday traditions, as well, and those help define the seasons. People celebrate and decorate for the Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas (or Hanukkah, etc.), New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, etc. Of course, not every resident participates, but that's true of most locations in the U.S.
Florida also has hunting seasons just like other parts of the U.S.--most in the fall through the winter. For hunters and people who are close to hunters, that's another activity that helps define seasons.
And of course cultural activities like sports occur at the same time nationwide--Major League Baseball (and with spring in Florida comes spring training), NFL football, minor league sports, school sports (and school schedules in general) are all the same in Florida, all based in particular seasons, just as they are anywhere else.
What leads many people to say that there are no seasons in Florida is that many seasonal differences aren't as pronounced and in-your-face as they are in many other areas of the country, as well as the fact that some favorite activities simply can't be done--such as skiing, ice skating on a lake, and so on.
But it's important to remember that even in areas with huge temperature differences between summer and winter, not every place is the same. There are not many places in the United States, for example, that have the concentration and brilliance of New England for fall foliage. That doesn't make it the case that the plains of Wyoming do not experience seasons. And many desert biomes receive almost no snow in the winter (and hardly any rain in the summer--that's why they're deserts, after all). But it might often enough get to 10 degrees in that desert in the winter and 110 in the summer.
The fact is that seasons are not defined by "my favorite activities in the summer/fall/winter/spring", and they're not defined by the characteristics of just one geographical location, just one biome. Florida has seasons per the astronomy and geography-based definitions, per temperature differences, per foliage differences, and per cultural activities.
While we do have cultural seasons, the reality is that in south Florida, we have six months of summer, and five months of spring, with a couple of cool fall days thrown in. Temps in the 40's are few and far between. We may go years without seeing a night or two in the 30's.
While we do have cultural seasons, the reality is that in south Florida, we have six months of summer, and five months of spring, with a couple of cool fall days thrown in. Temps in the 40's are few and far between. We may go years without seeing a night or two in the 30's.
Seasons are not conventionally defined by temperature ranges (so that it's summer just in case it's 80-something and above as a high, or whatever). They're defined primarily by astronomical facts (and those happen to correlate to things like changes in flora). It makes more sense to say something like, "The average high temperature in West Palm Beach in autumn is 84."
While we do have cultural seasons, the reality is that in south Florida, we have six months of summer, and five months of spring, with a couple of cool fall days thrown in. Temps in the 40's are few and far between. We may go years without seeing a night or two in the 30's.
Well but we do have a wet season and a dry season. During the rainy season the climate is quite different than it is during the dry season, even though temperatures don't change that much. It is much different in March than it is in May even though temps are similar.
Orlando has seasons and you can tell, not as pronounced as up north but there are changes, different flowers dry cooler weather and even some trees will change color believe it or not lol.
My wife and I love to garden and we raise orchids, the plants tell us a lot about the seasons.
I think many people don't "feel" the seasons because they spend soooo much time in conditioned air (both heat and a/c).
I have orchids that only bloom once a year, they require changes in temps or sun to trigger the bloom. When the extreme low and high temps hit I know because of the extra care I must give the plants so they survive.
The Tabebuia tree drops all it's leaves in the late winter and then blooms with golden yellow flowers to signal the coming of spring. The gardenias start to bloom in the late spring and continue through the early summer. The end of summer is signaled when the rains stop, the crape myrtles stop flowering and begin to drop their leaves. The intervals between cutting the grass lengthens.
You can measure the seasons in many ways, but the wildlife is the surest harbinger of the changes I know. Both plant and animal. I look forward to the arrival of the white pelicans and wood storks both winter in my neck of the woods.
Florida has seasons, it always has. They may be subtle here in the south, but if you take the time to appreciate what does happen I think many will find it as wonderful as any seasonal changes anywhere.
Seasons are not conventionally defined by temperature ranges (so that it's summer just in case it's 80-something and above as a high, or whatever). They're defined primarily by astronomical facts (and those happen to correlate to things like changes in flora). It makes more sense to say something like, "The average high temperature in West Palm Beach in autumn is 84."
I beg to differ. Seasons in this country are defined by temperature. We all know about the equinox and the solstice, but those are calendar designations. Ask someone on a cool October day what it's like outsidem, and you'll hear it's a perfect fall day.
Ask about a May day in the low 70's and you'll hear about a perfect spring day.
You can beg to differ all you like. That some people use the term that way is irrelevant. I'm talking about an educated use of the term.
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Seasons in this country are defined by temperature. We all know about the equinox and the solstice, but those are calendar designations.
I explained in detail what it is in the first post of this thread.
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Ask someone on a cool October day what it's like outsidem, and you'll hear it's a perfect fall day. Ask about a May day in the low 70's and you'll hear about a perfect spring day.
Well, October is fall and May is spring though, lol. If you asked someone on November 1 "What is it like outside?", and they said, "Oh, it's 80 degrees--a lovely summer day", you'd think they were nuts (well, or at least being slightly facetious--making something of a joke about the temperature).
You can beg to differ all you like. That some people use the term that way is irrelevant. I'm talking about an educated use of the term. I explained in detail what it is in the first post of this thread. Well, October is fall and May is spring though, lol. If you asked someone on November 1 "What is it like outside?", and they said, "Oh, it's 80 degrees--a lovely summer day", you'd think they were nuts (well, or at least being slightly facetious--making something of a joke about the temperature).
I am a TA in elementary school here. We have to actually teach the native born Southern (notice I said that OK?) Florida kids what the seasons are like. Do you really think they are taught that Fall is 80 degrees instead of 90 degrees? No way. They are taught that in MOST parts of the country the leaves change colors and the temperatures drop SIGNIFCANTLY where people start wearing coats and sweaters. It is a very difficult concept for these kids to grasp. The kids, who are from other states or have family in other states, fully understand what the 4 seasons are. They usually start telling the others about all the "fun activities" that they can do in the Fall, Winter, etc. Last year my husband went up North for business in the Fall. I asked him to bring me back some leaves for the kids in class to see. Yes, they have seen pictures, but nothing beats seeing and touching the real thing. They ooo'ed and aaa'd when I passed them around.
The same is true for Winter. It gets very cold and snows outside, not that it is now maybe 20 degrees cooler in their area of Florida. We even put up pictures of snowflakes and snowmen in the classroom, so they can understand what Winter season is really all about in the majority of the country. In fact, the town of Naples makes a "snow mountain" sometime in the winter, so that the kids living here can experience what snow is. As one little boy from Michigan told the others, "It's really fun sledding down a mountain of snow, but make sure you wear gloves or your hands will freeze."
This is what the children of Florida in elementary school are being taught about the 4 seasons. A lot of time is spent on teaching this. Up North, it is not necessary at all. They are taught much earlier about the science of the seasons because they already know about all of the other "stuff".
I am a TA in elementary school here. We have to actually teach the native born Southern (notice I said that OK?) Florida kids what the seasons are like.
If you're teaching this with information based on what seasons are like in a particular location only (such as the northeastern United States), you're certainly not doing anyone any favors.
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I asked him to bring me back some leaves for the kids in class to see.
If you were more educated about Florida, you could have obtained differently colored leaves from local sources.
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This is what the children of Florida in elementary school are being taught about the 4 seasons.
At your school, in your classroom. I went to elementary school in Florida, too, don't forget.
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I beg to differ also
