English summer is officially supposed to begin in the UK on the 21st of June this year. This however, is very subjective and because of the gradual changes between seasons, a number of different factors can be considered or dismissed when considering when summer has actually started.
The summer solstice is one of the only constant measurable variables that can be used to gauge the seasons. The summer solstice is an astronomical position which occurs when the sun is at it its highest point and results in the longest hours of sunlight of the year (the opposite of this, the shortest day of the year is known as the winter solstice). The summer solstice in 2011 will occur on the 21st of June.
The seasons are dictated by the Earth's position in relation to the sun. The Earth is on a tilted axis which, as it revolves around the sun means that certain parts of the Earth are closer to the sun, and therefore warmer at different times of the year. When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
A more general definition for the seasons is simply to partition the four seasons over the 12 months of the year, summer is typically judged to run between June and August, autumn between September and November, winter between December and February and spring between March and May.
Because of the temperamental nature of the British climate however, these definitions can be skewed one way or the other or simply not abided by at all. It is very common in Britain for the summers to be very cool and rainy while the winters are very mild and warm. It has even been known to snow heavily in the middle of summer in Wales.
The summer solstice is one of the only constant measurable variables that can be used to gauge the seasons. The summer solstice is an astronomical position which occurs when the sun is at it its highest point and results in the longest hours of sunlight of the year (the opposite of this, the shortest day of the year is known as the winter solstice). The summer solstice in 2011 will occur on the 21st of June.
The seasons are dictated by the Earth's position in relation to the sun. The Earth is on a tilted axis which, as it revolves around the sun means that certain parts of the Earth are closer to the sun, and therefore warmer at different times of the year. When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
A more general definition for the seasons is simply to partition the four seasons over the 12 months of the year, summer is typically judged to run between June and August, autumn between September and November, winter between December and February and spring between March and May.
Because of the temperamental nature of the British climate however, these definitions can be skewed one way or the other or simply not abided by at all. It is very common in Britain for the summers to be very cool and rainy while the winters are very mild and warm. It has even been known to snow heavily in the middle of summer in Wales.
