Where is the line for 4 seasons and not if you had to draw it? (beaches, swimming pool)
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I just don't consider the south to have 4 distinct seasons. Where I live on the fall line in GA, we're gonna be near 80 all week. That's not what I consider to be distinctly winter weather. It's basically spring right now in February. Meanwhile it's 3 degrees in Minneapolis right now.
Four distinct seasons are an artifice created by Europeans. But even in Europe they are more fantasy than reality. There's summer demarcated by the longest hours of sunlight and winter demarcated by the shortest hours of daylight. Spring and fall are just words to describe the transitional time from one to the other. In astronomical terms, the time between the equinox and solstice.
But we obviously know it doesn't neatly match up. It differs from location to location, even within the same region.So you can approach this two ways - you can create a definition based on time - the coldest 3 months, the warmest 3 months, and the in-between times. Of course this will lead to wildly different seasonal conditions. Winter in Miami feels like June in the Midwest.
The other approach is to tie it to a specific conditional framework and simply say you gotta hit this benchmark for it to be this season. The problem is that this is going to be very locally biased and if you wanted to capture the framework of the whole world, you'd end up with many localities missing entire seasons. You already run into this problem within the U.S. where you could equally claim that many regions miss winter entirely, but also that many regions miss summer entirely.
Minneapolis gets hot in the summer? It depends on your framework. The hottest time in Minneapolis is - on average - the 20 middle days of July, but the conditions in that time are similar to May and September in the Mid-South, even in the Mid-Atlantic they are more early June/September temperature. Minneapolis is missing essentially an entire category - days with temperatures typically at 85 or above. For a place like D.C. that category is the entire time frame between June 13th and September 5th i.e. almost an entire season. So by the standards of D.C. and points south, Minneapolis is essentially missing summer entirely.
Four distinct seasons are an artifice created by Europeans. But even in Europe they are more fantasy than reality. There's summer demarcated by the longest hours of sunlight and winter demarcated by the shortest hours of daylight. Spring and fall are just words to describe the transitional time from one to the other. In astronomical terms, the time between the equinox and solstice.
But we obviously know it doesn't neatly match up. It differs from location to location, even within the same region.So you can approach this two ways - you can create a definition based on time - the coldest 3 months, the warmest 3 months, and the in-between times. Of course this will lead to wildly different seasonal conditions. Winter in Miami feels like June in the Midwest.
The other approach is to tie it to a specific conditional framework and simply say you gotta hit this benchmark for it to be this season. The problem is that this is going to be very locally biased and if you wanted to capture the framework of the whole world, you'd end up with many localities missing entire seasons. You already run into this problem within the U.S. where you could equally claim that many regions miss winter entirely, but also that many regions miss summer entirely.
Minneapolis gets hot in the summer? It depends on your framework. The hottest time in Minneapolis is - on average - the 20 middle days of July, but the conditions in that time are similar to May and September in the Mid-South, even in the Mid-Atlantic they are more early June/September temperature. Minneapolis is missing essentially an entire category - days with temperatures typically at 85 or above. For a place like D.C. that category is the entire time frame between June 13th and September 5th i.e. almost an entire season. So by the standards of D.C. and points south, Minneapolis is essentially missing summer entirely.
Minneapolis regularly has highs of 85 and above during the summer and gets close to hitting 100 a few days out of the season. The summers in Minneapolis are very similar to cities much further south like NYCThe city hit 100 degrees in May 2020. And even if it didn't, the summers in Minneapolis are distinct from spring and fall. This is less true in the south. Minneapolis can get as hot as the deep south but the deep south won't get as cold as Minneapolis.
This thread is so Northern-centric it's ridiculous. Most of this Earth does not experience snowfall, and only 20% of all humans have ever seen snowfall give or take.
I think a good chunk of the Northern US doesn't experience a true summer. Mind telling me how Buffalo which peaks in the 70s on average is a place that gets summer heat? People idolize summers in Chicago, also in the 70s, because it's perfect weather to traverse the city, it's not HOT at 70 degrees.
Chicago has average highs in the 80s for all 3 summer months. Not sure what you're trying to get at? Its average high in July is 85. Compare that to Atlanta, its average summer high is 90. Only 5 degrees warmer. Its average June high is 87, just a couple more than Chicago's average July high.
You have to go either really far north and near a Great Lake, or in a mountain to have summer highs in the 70s. Even with Chicago being on Lake Michigan, its summers are very warm. Even then, 70s are more "summer" than 50s are "winter."
Chicago has average highs in the 80s for all 3 summer months. Not sure what you're trying to get at? Its average high in July is 85. Compare that to Atlanta, its average summer high is 90. Only 5 degrees warmer. Its average June high is 87, just a couple more than Chicago's average July high.
You have to go either really far north and near a Great Lake, or in a mountain to have summer highs in the 70s. Even with Chicago being on Lake Michigan, its summers are very warm. Even then, 70s are more "summer" than 50s are "winter."
One of my favorite climate areas is northern Vilas County, WI in the Lake Superior Snowbelt. Due to the elevation at just under 2,000 ft. the summer temperatures are mostly between 74-80F. I've seen a low temperature below 30F in June there as well.
You have to go either really far north and near a Great Lake, or in a mountain to have summer highs in the 70s. Even with Chicago being on Lake Michigan, its summers are very warm. Even then, 70s are more "summer" than 50s are "winter."
Four distinct seasons are an artifice created by Europeans. But even in Europe they are more fantasy than reality. There's summer demarcated by the longest hours of sunlight and winter demarcated by the shortest hours of daylight. Spring and fall are just words to describe the transitional time from one to the other. In astronomical terms, the time between the equinox and solstice.
But we obviously know it doesn't neatly match up. It differs from location to location, even within the same region.So you can approach this two ways - you can create a definition based on time - the coldest 3 months, the warmest 3 months, and the in-between times. Of course this will lead to wildly different seasonal conditions. Winter in Miami feels like June in the Midwest.
The other approach is to tie it to a specific conditional framework and simply say you gotta hit this benchmark for it to be this season. The problem is that this is going to be very locally biased and if you wanted to capture the framework of the whole world, you'd end up with many localities missing entire seasons. You already run into this problem within the U.S. where you could equally claim that many regions miss winter entirely, but also that many regions miss summer entirely.
Minneapolis gets hot in the summer? It depends on your framework. The hottest time in Minneapolis is - on average - the 20 middle days of July, but the conditions in that time are similar to May and September in the Mid-South, even in the Mid-Atlantic they are more early June/September temperature. Minneapolis is missing essentially an entire category - days with temperatures typically at 85 or above. For a place like D.C. that category is the entire time frame between June 13th and September 5th i.e. almost an entire season. So by the standards of D.C. and points south, Minneapolis is essentially missing summer entirely.
Ehhh hard disagree. I grew up in Miami and have spent most of my adult life in the Twin Cities and no, Minneapolis is not 'missing out on summer.' If anything, summer is more distinct here than in Miami. July in Miami doesn't feel very different from October, but summer in Minneapolis is unmistakeably summer. And no... it does get very warm here, not that different from the South and very humid. We can easily hit the 90s. What makes it more bearable IMO is the vegetation (Miami sucks for shade) and the less direct sun, but when its in the 80s-90s here in the summer, its every bit as warm. The lack of AC compared to down there means you're more exposed to the heat sometimes. I have never lived anywhere up here with central AC. Minneapolis does not miss out on summer. Just because its not the surface of the sun doesn't mean we miss out on summer. Duluth? I am inclined to agree a little more. Minneapolis? Not at all. We have hit the 100s at least three times since I've lived here. We get the right amount of summer, tbh. And Indian summers are normal. Most Septembers you can expect it to hit 90 degrees.
Minneapolis summers don't feel like Miami winters. Minneapolis SEPTEMBERS feel like Miami winters. Miami winters are warm but they're dry. Minneapolis summers are very humid for the most part. Fun fact... Miami has seen freezing temps in all 3 winter months (and even 1 spring month) Minneapolis has never seen a summer freeze.
Also, plenty of non-Europeans have concepts of 4 seasons, even if how exactly they define them may vary... the Ojibwe are real big on the seasonal changes.
70s and above IS summer heat, especially combined with direct sunshine during the longer (and higher sun) summer days. I know that in Buffalo I can actually experience more summertime outdoors than in places where people must "escape" the heat and sun by spending their days in air-conditioned spaces.
And even in Buffalo there are plenty of days in the 80s and above during summers (though I could do without most of them personally).
You are missing the point..
People from northern climates are saying that southern areas "don't have winters" because the low is merely 40° and there isn't snowfall.
That logic is identical to me saying that Buffalo "doesn't have summers" because it is only in the 70s and 80s. You see, I consider that springtime weather; you have to be upper 90s and above for it to be summer.
Minneapolis gets hot in the summer? It depends on your framework. The hottest time in Minneapolis is - on average - the 20 middle days of July, but the conditions in that time are similar to May and September in the Mid-South, even in the Mid-Atlantic they are more early June/September temperature. Minneapolis is missing essentially an entire category - days with temperatures typically at 85 or above. For a place like D.C. that category is the entire time frame between June 13th and September 5th i.e. almost an entire season. So by the standards of D.C. and points south, Minneapolis is essentially missing summer entirely.
LOL what? Summer days in Minneapolis are very commonly over 85ºF June through August, even September. Summers here are hot. It can get well over 100ºF during heat waves. However, no, it's not months upon months of unrelenting hell fire like in the Sunbelt states.
70s and above IS summer heat, especially combined with direct sunshine during the longer (and higher sun) summer days. I know that in Buffalo I can actually experience more summertime outdoors than in places where people must "escape" the heat and sun by spending their days in air-conditioned spaces.
And even in Buffalo there are plenty of days in the 80s and above during summers (though I could do without most of them personally).
For me anything under 70 I have to wear a jacket. I'm not comfortable in shorts until it clears about 78-80.
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