Is there much of a difference between 'Spring' and 'Autumn' in your climate? (tornado, warmest)

[dunno what to put here]

I'd be prepared for a very wet 2012 Ben. As you know, 2011 has been very dry, even here, and nature must correct itself at some point.

[ben86]

Originally Posted by dunno what to put here

I'd be prepared for a very wet 2012 Ben. As you know, 2011 has been very dry, even here, and nature must correct itself at some point.

Tell me about it, I'm actually hoping it pours down with rain every day for the next three months, seeming as it's going to happen at some point and winter's of little use to me in terms of doing outdoor stuff anyway. One consolation is that no matter how bad the weather here is, apart from the guaranteed snowfall/gales you get and we don't the weather over the long run is always going to be more conducive to my tastes than back home up north

[dunno what to put here]

True. When I looked at summer stats for London this year, I thought 'what, that's warmer then our average summer!'

[tvdxer]

Yes, they are very distinct from one another.

Meteorological Spring is comprised of the months of March, April, and May; meteorological Autumn, September, October, and November.

In March, snow is normally on the ground for most of the month, and at least in the first half (perhaps 20 days of the month) it is often very deep (12"+), depending on how much snow cover we enter the season with and how much snow falls during the month (rain in the first half of the month is rare). On the other hand, snow cover - during the last ten years at least - has been minimal and spotty in November, except after snow storms. March seems to have more extreme temperatures than November: it is not unusual to span

The snow cover usually melts between late March and mid-April. This leads to mud puddles everywhere. Yards are often a mucky mess throughout April and into May and large ponds form in spots that in other parts of the year are dry or puddles. Also, significant snowfalls are common in April, and low temperatures permit the snow to stick to the ground for a few days. Significant snowfall is not nearly as common in October as it is April, and it doesn't seem to last as long either. Also, leaves are on the trees for the first half of October above the hill (foliage peaks in the beginning of October) and all of the month into November on the lower portions of the hill and the Harbor. I've never seen foliage in April. The grass is always green in October, while it is still yellow in April, also.

Finally, in May, the lake's cooling influence is in full force and temperatures will be in the 40's at the harbor and surrounding area, and often above the hill, while the rest of Minnesota enjoys temperatures in the 70's and 80's (and sometimes 90's). An extreme case of this occurred one day in May 2001: the temperature at the harbor did not climb above 43, while in other parts of Minnesota it was as high as 99. The cooling influence on this scale does not exist in September (the wind seems to shift in late June or early July), except perhaps during hot spells, as the lake is just down from its warmest at the beginning of the month. Many years, snow falls during May; although it is always short-lived, there can be accumulations. In September, any snow fall is extremely rare (the last time I know of it happening was 1991). Warm days in May are generally dry; warm days in September can either be of the dry, windy, sunny variety or the summer-like muggy variety, especially in the first 10 or 15 days of the month, which is essentially a continuation of summer in those years. Warm days also have occurred more often in recent Septembers than recent Mays, probably due to lake effect:

May / September
(Temperatures taken at the airport, over the hill. "Days above 70" means "Days reaching or exceeding a maximum temperature of 70F"

2001 - May 6 days above 70, September 7 days above 70
(average low of 70F days: 47 vs 53)
2002 - May 7 days above 70, September 16 days above 70
(average low of 70F days: 48 vs 55)
2003 - May 4 days above 70, September 13 days above 70
(average low of 70F days: 46 vs 54)
2004 - May 2 days above 70, September 12 days above 70.
(average low of 70F days: 37 vs 54)
2005 - May 3 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 71 / 57; September 16 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 86 / 67
(average low on 70+F days 44 vs 54)
2006 - May 8 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 79 / 65 ; September 9 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 82 / 65
(average low on 70+F days 53 vs 51)
2007 - May 9 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 86 / 65; September 10 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 88 / 68
(average low on 70+F days 52 vs 55)
2008 - May 1 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 74 / 58; September 2 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 84 / 70
(average low on 70+F days 46 vs 54)
2009 - May 2 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 88 / 55; September 2 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 80 / 64
(average low on 70+F days 41 vs 54)
2010 - May 16 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 86 / 68; September 20 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 73 / 58
(average low on 70+F days 48 vs 50)
2011 - May 5 days above 70F, maximum temperature / dewpoint 75 / 59; September, 11 days above 70 in September, maximum temperature / dewpoint 84 / 70
(average low on 70+F days 45 vs 55)

[nei]

Hmm. I think of September as more comparable to June than May; or at least somewhere in between. June this year had identical averages to September.

So I dunno that comparison shows much.

[dunno what to put here]

March here is comparable to December in many ways, while September is comparable to June.

November is comparable to April.

[Derek40]

Overall Spring and Autumn are on a par temperature wise, although minimums are lower in spring.
Spring tends to warm up quickly here, but it is not sustained, so as far as max temps:
Sept > May
Oct = April
Nov < March
October has been very ordinary in recent years, and April is a much more stable month.
Spring is overall more changeable, and this is reflected by the fact that "record highs" are significantly higher in spring months compared to corresponding months in autumn.
Sunshine hours are significantly higher in spring, particulalry September compared to May:

Climate statistics for Australian locations

[vaughanwilliams]

Here in Florida, fall (1.5 months) is what most of the country calls a nice summer, spring (two weeks) is what a humid summer is elsewhere, winter (two months) is a mild fall and summer (8 months) is just hell.

[Weatherfan2]

Originally Posted by dunno what to put here

March here is comparable to December in many ways, while September is comparable to June.

November is comparable to April.

November's nothing like April to me.

April's much brighter and generally settled, with a lot more warm days. It gets maybe 3-5 times the sunshine, and the max temps are much better.

In terms of how late April feels, I'd say it's more like late September.

[dunno what to put here]

I mean temperature wise they are generally similar, but April is definitely sunnier and often feels warmer since November is usually windy and rainy, not to mention the very short days of November.