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Tilt = Earth's tilt like in the picture is what causes the sun to shine on different latitudes of the Earth and the latitude tells us how far north or south a place is from the equator.  This affects the length of our days.

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Tilt = Earth's tilt like in the picture is what causes the sun to shine on different latitudes of the Earth and the latitude tells us how far north or south a place is from the equator.  This affects the length of our days.

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Equator = is an imaginary line around the middle of a planet or other celestial body.  It is halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole at 0 degrees latitude.  This divides our planet into 2 hemispheres.

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Equator = is an imaginary line around the middle of a planet or other celestial body.  It is halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole at 0 degrees latitude.  This divides our planet into 2 hemispheres.

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Hemispheres = This is an imaginary division of Earth in 2 halves.

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Hemispheres = This is an imaginary division of Earth in 2 halves.

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Seasons = four different times during the year with different types of weather.  These are caused by the Earth's orbit around the sun, its rotation on its axis, and its tilt.  This picture below shows the months when the Northern Hemisphere experiences seasons.

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Seasons = four different times during the year with different types of weather.  These are caused by the Earth's orbit around the sun, its rotation on its axis, and its tilt.  This picture below shows the months when the Northern Hemisphere experiences seasons.

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Equinox = This is when the sun passes directly over the equator.  There are two equinoxes each year.  On these days, the nights are equal in length North and South.  12 hours for day and 12 hours for night

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Equinox = This is when the sun passes directly over the equator.  There are two equinoxes each year.  On these days, the nights are equal in length North and South.  12 hours for day and 12 hours for night

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Winter Solstice = The time when the sun has the biggest distance from either the North or South Pole (tilted away from the sun) - happens 2 times a year.. once in each hemisphere.

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Winter Solstice = The time when the sun has the biggest distance from either the North or South Pole (tilted away from the sun) - happens 2 times a year.. once in each hemisphere.

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Summer solstice = Sometimes called "midsummer", occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the sun.  This happens twice yearly in both the North and South hemispheres.

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Summer solstice = Sometimes called "midsummer", occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the sun.  This happens twice yearly in both the North and South hemispheres.

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U1 L5 Guided Notes Reason for the Seasons

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U1 L5 Completed Guided Notes Reason for the Seasons

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Winter is the coldest time of the year. It is one of the four seasons. Winter comes after autumn and before spring.

Winter begins the winter solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere the winter solstice is usually December 21 or December 22. In the Southern Hemisphere the winter solstice is usually June 21 or June 22. The days are shorter and the nights are longer.

Some animals hibernate during this season. In temperate climates there are no leaves on deciduous trees in winter.

One of the winter holidays in the Northern Hemisphere Christmas.

The name comes from an old Germanic word that means "time of water" and refers to the rain and snow of winter in middle and high latitudes.

The tilt of the Earth's axis relative to its orbital plane plays a big role in the weather. The Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.44° to the plane of its orbit, and this causes different latitudes on the Earth to directly face the Sun as the Earth moves through its orbit. It is this variation that primarily brings about the seasons. When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere faces the Sun more directly and thus experiences warmer temperatures than the Northern Hemisphere. Conversely, winter in the Southern Hemisphere occurs when the Northern hemisphere is tilted more toward the Sun. From the perspective of an observer on the Earth, the winter Sun has a lower maximum altitude in the sky than the summer Sun.

During winter in either hemisphere, the lower altitude of the Sun causes the sunlight to hit that hemisphere at an oblique angle. In regions experiencing winter, the same amount of solar radiation is spread out over a larger area. This effect is compounded by the larger distance that the light must travel through the atmosphere, allowing the atmosphere to dissipate more heat. Compared with these effects, the changes in the distance of the earth from the sun are negligible.

Meteorological based winter

Meteorological winter is the method of measuring the winter season used by meteorologists based on "sensible weather patterns" for record keeping purposes, so the start of meteorological winter can change depending on how far north one lives.

Winter is often defined by meteorologists to be the three calendar months with the lowest average temperatures. This corresponds to the months of December, January and February in the Northern Hemisphere, and June, July and August in the Southern Hemisphere.

Accumulations of snow and ice are commonly associated with winter in the Northern Hemisphere, due to the large land masses there. In the Southern Hemisphere, the more maritime climate and the relative lack of land south of 40°S makes the winters milder; thus, snow and ice are less common in inhabited regions of the Southern Hemisphere. In this region, snow occurs every year in elevated regions such as the Andes, the Great Dividing Range in Australia, and the mountains of New Zealand, and also occurs in the southerly Patagonia region of South America. Snow occurs year-round in Antarctica.

Astronomical and calendar based winter

In the Northern Hemisphere, some authorities define the period of winter based on astronomical fixed points (i.e. based solely on the position of the Earth in its orbit around the sun), regardless of weather conditions. In one version of this definition, winter begins at the winter solstice and ends at the vernal equinox.

These dates are somewhat later than those used to define the beginning and end of the meteorological winter - usually considered to span the entirety of December, January, and February in the Northern Hemisphere and June, July, and August in the Southern.

Astronomically, the winter solstice, being the day of the year which has fewest hours of daylight, ought to be the middle of the season, but seasonal lag means that the coldest period normally follows the solstice by a few weeks.

In the USA and Canada (and sometimes in Britain) the season is regarded as beginning at the solstice and ending on the following equinox - in the Northern Hemisphere, depending on the year, this corresponds to the period between 21 or 22 December and 19, 20 or 21 March. In the UK, meteorologists consider winter to be the three coldest months of December, January and February. In Scandinavia, winter traditionally begins on 14 October and ends on the last day of February.

In many countries in the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, winter begins on 1 June and ends on 31 August.

In Celtic nations such as Ireland (using the Irish calendar) and in Scandinavia, the winter solstice is traditionally considered as midwinter, with the winter season beginning 1 November, on All Hallows, or Samhain. Winter ends and spring begins on Imbolc, or Candlemas, which is 1 or 2 February . This system of seasons is based on the length of days exclusively. (The three-month period of the shortest days and weakest solar radiation occurs during November, December and January in the Northern Hemisphere and May, June and July in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Ecological activity in winter

To survive the harshness of winter, many animals have developed different behavioral and morphological adaptations for overwintering:

Migration is a common effect of winter upon animals, notably birds. However, the majority of birds do not migrate-the cardinal and European Robin, for example. Some butterflies also migrate seasonally.

Hibernation is a state of reduced metabolic activity during the winter. Some animals "sleep" during winter and only come out when the warm weather returns; e.g., gophers, frogs, snakes, and bats.

Some animals store food for the winter and live on it instead of hibernating completely. This is the case for squirrels, beavers, skunks, badgers, and raccoons.

Resistance is observed when an animal endures winter but changes in ways such as color and musculature. The color of the fur or plumage changes to white (in order to be confused with snow) and thus retains its cryptic coloration year-round. Examples are the Rock Ptarmigan, arctic fox, weasel, white-tailed jackrabbit, and mountain hare.

Some fur-coated mammals grow a heavier coat during the winter; this improves the heat-retention qualities of the fur. The coat is then shed following the winter season to allow better cooling. The heavier coat in winter made it a favorite season for trappers, who sought more profitable skins.

Snow also affects the ways animals behave; many take advantage of the insulating properties of snow by burrowing in it. Mice and voles typically live under the snow layer.

Some annual plants never survive the winter. Other annual plants require winter cold to complete their life cycle, this is known as vernalization. As for perennials, many small ones profit from the insulating effects of snow by being buried in it. Larger plants, particularly deciduous trees, usually let their upper part go dormant, but their roots are still protected by the snow layer. Few plants bloom in the winter, one exception being the flowering plum, which flowers in time for Chinese New Year. The process by which plants become acclimated to cold weather is called hardening.

Exceptionally cold winters

1683-1684, "The Great Frost", when the Thames, hosting one of many River Thames frost fairs, was frozen all the way up to the London Bridge and remained frozen for about two months. Ice was about 27 cm (11 in) thick in London and about 120 cm (47 in) thick in Somerset. The sea froze up to 2 miles (3.2 km) out around the coast of the southern North Sea, causing severe problems for shipping and preventing use of many harbors.

1739-1740, one of the most severe winters in the UK on record. The Thames remained frozen-over for about 8 weeks. The Irish famine of 1740-1741 claimed the lives of at least 300,000 people.

1816 was the Year Without a Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The unusual coolness of the winter of 1815-1816 and of the following summer was primarily due to the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, in April 1815. There were secondary effects from an unknown eruption or eruptions around 1810, and several smaller eruptions around the world between 1812 and 1814. The cumulative effects were worldwide, but were especially strong in the Eastern USA, Atlantic Canada, and Northern Europe. Frost formed in May in New England, killing many newly planted crops, and the summer never recovered. Snow fell in New York and Maine in June, and ice formed in lakes and rivers in July and August. In the UK, snow drifts remained on hills until late July, and the Thames froze in September. Agricultural crops failed and livestock died in much of the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in food shortages and the worst famine of the 19th century.

1887-1888, there were record cold temperatures in the Upper Midwest, heavy snowfalls worldwide, and amazing storms, including the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 (in the Midwest in January), and the Great Blizzard of 1888 (in the Eastern US and Canada in March).

In Europe, the winters of early 1947, February 1956, 1962-1963, 1981-1982 and 2009-2010 were abnormally cold. The UK winter of 1946-1947 started out relatively normal, but became one of the snowiest UK winters to date, with nearly continuous snowfall from late January until March.

Other historically significant winters

1310-1330, many severe winters and cold, wet summers in Europe - the first clear manifestation of the unpredictable weather of the Little Ice Age that lasted for several centuries (from about 1300 to 1900). The persistently cold, wet weather caused great hardship, was primarily responsible for the Great Famine of 1315-1317, and strongly contributed to the weakened immunity and malnutrition leading up to the Black Death (1348-1350).

1600-1602, extremely cold winters in Switzerland and Baltic region after eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru in 1600.

1607-1608, in North America, ice persisted on Lake Superior until June. Londoners held their first frost fair on the frozen-over River Thames.

1622, in Turkey, the Golden Horn and southern section of Bosphorus froze over.

1690s, extremely cold, snowy, severe winters. Ice surrounded Iceland for miles in every direction.

1779-1780, Scotland's coldest winter on record, and ice surrounded Iceland in every direction (like in the 1690s). In the USA, a record five-week cold spell bottomed out at −20 °F (−29 °C) at Hartford, Connecticut, and −16 °F (−27 °C) in New York City. Hudson River and New York's harbor froze over.

1783-1786, the Thames partially froze, and snow remained on the ground for months. In February 1784, the North Carolina was frozen in Chesapeake Bay.

1794-1795, severe winter, with the coldest January in the UK and lowest temperature ever recorded in London: −21 °C (−6 °F) on 25 January. The cold began on Christmas Eve and lasted until late March, with a few temporary warm-ups. The Severn and Thames froze, and frost fairs started up again. The French army tried to invade the Netherlands over its frozen rivers, while the Dutch fleet was stuck in its harbor. The winter had Easterlies (from Siberia) as its dominant feature.

1813-1814, severe cold, last freeze-over of Thames, and last frost fair. (Removal of old London Bridge and changes to river's banks made freeze-overs less likely.)

1883-1888, colder temperatures worldwide, including an unbroken string of abnormally cold and brutal winters in the Upper Midwest, related to the explosion of Krakatoa in August 1883. There was snow recorded in the UK as early as October and as late as July during this time period.

1976-1977, one of the coldest winters in the US in decades.

1985, Arctic outbreak in US resulting from shift in polar vortex, with many cold temperature records broken.

2002-2003 was an unusually cold winter in the Northern and Eastern USA.

2010-2011, persistent bitter cold in the entire eastern half of the USA from December onward, with few or no mid-winter warm-ups, and with cool conditions continuing into spring. La Niña and negative Arctic oscillation were strong factors. Heavy and persistent precipitation contributed to almost constant snow cover in the Northeastern US which finally receded in early May.

2011 was one of the coldest on record in New Zealand with sea level snow falling in Wellington in July for the first time in 35 years and a much heavier snowstorm for 3 days in a row in August.

2011-2012, one of the warmest winters. Christmas Day 2011 was the warmest Christmas in Ireland, as observed by the Armagh Observatory.

Humans and winter

Humans evolved in tropical climates, and met cold weather as they migrated into Eurasia, although earlier populations certainly encountered Southern Hemisphere winters in Southern Africa. Micro-evolution in Caucasian, Asiatic and Inuit people show some adaptation to the climate.

In Spanish: Invierno para niños

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Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of the term varies according to local climate, cultures and customs. When it is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it is autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. At the spring (or vernal) equinox, days and nights are approximately twelve hours long, with daytime length increasing and nighttime length decreasing as the season progresses.

Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth. Subtropical and tropical areas have climates better described in terms of other seasons, e.g. dry or wet, monsoonal or cyclonic. Cultures may have local names for seasons which have little equivalence to the terms originating in Europe.

When spring begins and ends

Meteorologists generally define four seasons in many climatic areas: spring, summer, autumn (fall) and winter. These are demarcated by the values of their average temperatures on a monthly basis, with each season lasting three months. The three warmest months are by definition summer, the three coldest months are winter and the intervening gaps are spring and autumn. Meteorological Spring, can therefore, start on different dates in different regions.

In the US and UK, spring months are March, April and May.

In Australia and New Zealand, spring begins on 1 September and ends on 30 November.

In Ireland, following the Gaelic calendar, spring is often defined as February, March and April.

In Sweden, meteorologists define the beginning of spring as the first occasion on which the average 24 hours temperature exceeds zero degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days, thus the date varies with latitude and elevation.

In Brazil, spring months are September, October, November and December.

The spring season in India is culturally in the months of March and April, with an average temperature of approx 32 °C.

In some cultures in the Northern Hemisphere (e.g. Germany and the UK), the astronomical vernal equinox (varying between 19 and 21 March) is taken to mark the first day of spring, and the summer solstice (around 21 June) is taken as the first day of summer.

In Persian culture the first day of spring is the first day of the first month (called Farvardin) which begins on 20 or 21 March.

In the traditional Chinese calendar, the "spring" season consists of the days between Lichun (3-5 February), taking Chunfen (20-22 March) as its midpoint, then ending at Lixia (5-7 May).

According to the Celtic tradition, which is based solely on daylight and the strength of the noon sun, spring begins in early February (near Imbolc or Candlemas) and continues until early May (Beltane).

Natural events

During early spring, the axis of the Earth is increasing its tilt relative to the Sun, and the length of daylight rapidly increases for the relevant hemisphere. The hemisphere begins to warm significantly, causing new plant growth to "spring forth," giving the season its name.

Any snow begins to melt, swelling streams with runoff and any frosts become less severe. In climates that have no snow, and rare frosts, air and ground temperatures increase more rapidly.

Many flowering plants bloom at this time of year, in a long succession, sometimes beginning when snow is still on the ground and continuing into early summer. In normally snowless areas, "spring" may begin as early as February (Northern Hemisphere) or August (Southern Hemisphere), heralded by the blooming of deciduous magnolias, cherries, and quince. Many temperate areas have a dry spring, and wet autumn (fall), which brings about flowering in this season, more consistent with the need for water, as well as warmth. Subarctic areas may not experience "spring" at all until May.

While spring is a result of the warmth caused by the changing orientation of the Earth's axis relative to the Sun, the weather in many parts of the world is affected by other, less predictable events. The rainfall in spring (or any season) follows trends more related to longer cycles-such as the solar cycle-or events created by ocean currents and ocean temperatures-for example, the El Niño effect and the Southern Oscillation Index.

Unstable spring weather may occur more often when warm air begins to invade from lower latitudes, while cold air is still pushing from the Polar regions. Flooding is also most common in and near mountainous areas during this time of year, because of snow-melt which is accelerated by warm rains. In North America, Tornado Alley is most active at this time of year, especially since the Rocky Mountains prevent the surging hot and cold air masses from spreading eastward, and instead force them into direct conflict. Besides tornadoes, supercell thunderstorms can also produce dangerously large hail and very high winds, for which a severe thunderstorm warning or tornado warning is usually issued. Even more so than in winter, the jet streams play an important role in unstable and severe Northern Hemisphere weather in springtime.

In recent decades, season creep has been observed, which means that many signs of spring are occurring earlier in many regions by around two days per decade.

Spring in the Southern Hemisphere is different in several significant ways to that of the Northern Hemisphere for several reasons, including:

1. There is no land bridge between Southern Hemisphere countries and the Antarctic zone capable of bringing in cold air without the temperature-mitigating effects of extensive tracts of water;

2. The vastly greater amount of ocean in the Southern Hemisphere at most latitudes;

3. At this time in Earth's geologic history the Earth has an orbit which brings it in closer to the sun in the Southern Hemisphere for its warmer seasons;

4. There is a circumpolar flow of air (the roaring 40s and 50s) uninterrupted by large land masses;

5. No equivalent jet streams; and

6. The peculiarities of the reversing ocean currents in the Pacific.

Cultural associations

Carnival is practiced by many Christians around the world in the days before Lent (40 days, without Sundays, before Easter). It is the first spring festival of the new year for many.

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christian year. Christians believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the "third day" (two days after his crucifixion), and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day, two days after Good Friday. The date of Easter varies between 22 March and 25 April (which corresponds to between 4 April and 8 May in the Gregorian Calendar for the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian Calendar). In the Southern Hemisphere Easter occurs during autumn. In this celebration, the children do an easter egg hunt.

The First of May is the date of many public holidays. In many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labour movement. As a day of celebration, the holiday has ancient origins, and it can relate to many customs that have survived into modern times. Many of these customs are due to May Day being a cross-quarter day, meaning that (in the Northern Hemisphere where it is almost exclusively celebrated) it falls approximately halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. In the Celtic tradition, this date marked the end of spring and the beginning of summer.

In Spanish: Spring para niños

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What is an Equinox? 60 Second Science Questions for Children - FreeSchool

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Why Do We Have Seasons? | PBS LearningMedia

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Explore what causes seasons on Earth in this interactive adapted from NASA materials that features four cities at different latitudes. Use this resource to view how Earth's axial tilt causes seasons from different perspectives and to develop and use models of sunlight received at Earth's surface.

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Changes in the Sun's position every day add up to big changes over months.

You can show this by marking the shadow of a stationary object at the same time of day once a week for a few weeks.

Mark the shadow of a flagpole with chalk on the blacktop or mark the shadow of the window frame with a post-it on the wall. Every week, the shadow will be in a new position.

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Changes in the Sun's position every day add up to big changes over months. You can show this by marking the shadow of a stationary object at the same time of day once a week for a few weeks.

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Why Do We Have Seasons? | PBS LearningMedia

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Explore what causes seasons on Earth in this interactive adapted from NASA materials that features four cities at different latitudes. Use this resource to view how Earth's axial tilt causes seasons from different perspectives and to develop and use models of sunlight received at Earth's surface.