Posted by: @stargazer

May 1 is indeed Beltane, the old cross-quarter day halfway between spring and summer. Considering it the start of summer helps to make sense of calling the June solstice midsummer, when in modern convention summer starts then.

So there seem to be three ways to identify the seasons on the calendar!
I have always used the start of 4 months (March, June, September,December) as the beginning of the seasons [Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer here in the Southern Hemisphere].
Others push it back to the 21st of the relevant month. 
And now you have the season starting a month earlier, to fit in with traditional midwinter and midsummer dates?

Is there any historical or meteorological evidence that the ancient Celts had their seasons earlier than us?

In England, it is certainly not spring in February!

Posted by: @coracleI have always used the start of 4 months (March, June, September, December) as the beginning of the seasons [Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer here in the Southern Hemisphere].Others push it back to the 21st of the relevant month. And now you have the season starting a month earlier, to fit in with traditional midwinter and midsummer dates? Is there any historical or meteorological evidence that the ancient Celts had their seasons earlier than us? In England, it is certainly not spring in February!

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

For us Southern Hemisphere people, when all the seasons are reversed, it does sound somewhat confusing. If anyone visits Kakadu, near Darwin, the Yolngu people of that area have six seasons: Mirdawarr (Late March, April); Dhaarratharramirri (Late April to August - Dry season); Rarranhdharr (September/October-Close of dry season); Worlmamirri (Late October - December - period of maximum heat & humidity); Baarramirri (December, January - marks the Monsoon); and lastly, Gurnmul or Waltjarnmirri (January to March - Wet season proper). They time the seasons by the behaviour of plants, and animals, not only by the prevailing winds & the weather, itself. 

Yes, I've heard of this, and I gather the Aboriginal peoples in various other parts of Australia have (or had) their own locally specific ways of naming and referencing the seasons — unfortunately the knowledge of this hasn't survived in every part of Australia. I don't know if it's on record how the First Nations of the Melbourne / Port Phillip / Western Port area, where I come from, reckoned the seasons. I hope it is, but haven't seen any info.

As for the seasons being reversed, one of the biggest revelations for me on moving to the northern hemisphere (just before I turned 30) was just how much the seasons here make sense and how obvious they are. Spring is when the trees (deciduous ones, at least) start growing fresh green leaves and most plants start flowering; summer is when the trees are in full leaf and fruits develop; autumn is when the leaves change colour and fall ("fall" is in fact the original name of this season, but for some reason that term only survived in North America while the rest of the English-speaking world nicked the French word), and winter is when the trees have lost all their leaves and the weather turns really cold.

I'm sure every northern hemisphere member of the forum is going "well, duhhh!!" at this point, but in Australia, quite apart from the seasons being the other way around (yeah, just like we walk upside down too ), ALL of our native trees are evergreen. We have non-native deciduous trees in parks and gardens, but the landscape in general — especially in rural and semi-rural areas, like where I grew up — doesn't go through any huge transformations during the year. The weather changes, and different plants come into flower at different times, but that's about it. Whereas when I moved to the UK, I soon discovered that the traditional four seasons, which don't fit the Australian environment particularly well, make complete sense here, because the whole landscape changes so obviously and so unmissably. I first came to England at the start of winter and wasn't particularly surprised at how cold and bleak it was (actually, I was thrilled to see my first-ever snow!), but then when spring came, I was so bowled over by the transformation that I couldn't help thinking "So THAT's what all those poets are on about!!" It's still my favourite season of all. Especially just around now, when the bluebells — my favourite English flower — are out in abundance.

(But aside from all that, I could add that in Melbourne we CAN be said to have four seasons... in one day. )

I quite enjoyed your post, @courtenay, and the way it captures the thrill and enjoyment of experiencing something new. I've always lived in a place where the seasons behave as you've described (though, many here would argue, winter has overstayed its welcome, since snow fell this morning just north of here), but I have an older brother who lives in southern California and he's long described how the weather even there doesn't follow the pattern it does here (having predominately wet/cool winters and warm/dry summers).

(As a long-time amateur astronomer I also innately associate the constellations with their main seasons: for example, Orion rising in the evening means bitter winter cold, Arcturus rising means spring, and so on. It's another reason I'd like to venture Down Under: not only for new stars and old favorites viewed differently, but to experience the seeming mismatch of the stars and seasons).

Posted by: @coracle

So there seem to be three ways to identify the seasons on the calendar!
I have always used the start of 4 months (March, June, September,December) as the beginning of the seasons [Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer here in the Southern Hemisphere].
Others push it back to the 21st of the relevant month. 
And now you have the season starting a month earlier, to fit in with traditional midwinter and midsummer dates?

wagga has mentioned the four cross-quarter days and their association with the seasons. I'm not sure how popular the third option you've listed (starting seasons by cross-quarter days) is currently, but it does live on in references to Midsummer and in the old song "In The Bleak Midwinter."

I've heard Northern Hemisphere meteorologists often refer to the first method of counting the seasons (the beginning of each of those months), calling it "meteorological spring/summer/fall/winter" since it corresponds better to what we see in nature.

Astronomers often refer to the start of seasons on the 21st of each month as "astronomical spring" (for example), since those dates are tied to astronomical events (solstices and equinoxes) rather than specific weather events. (Though a significant mismatch between those dates and weather events might inspire calendar reform, much as Julius Caesar did in 46 BC). Calendars and their history are both rather messy and fascinating.

@Courtenay: Yes, I've heard of this, and I gather the Aboriginal peoples in various other parts of Australia have (or had) their own locally specific ways of naming and referencing the seasons — unfortunately the knowledge of this hasn't survived in every part of Australia. I don't know if it's on record how the First Nations of the Melbourne / Port Phillip / Western Port area, where I come from, reckoned the seasons. I hope it is but haven't seen any info.

Yes, the Dharawal (or Tharawal) people of the Campbelltown area of Sydney, and along the NSW coast past Wollongong, did have such a calendar & I've seen it written up in a really beautiful book which we had in our library, all illustrated with the seasonal plants as well as other explanations. But now I've retired a decade ago, I've no access to it. The Wurundjeri people who lived in the Yarra Valley, which mostly covers Melbourne's metropolitan area, might well have had their own arrangements, too, when climate varies across Australia, anyway. We are often told that Darwin, in the Northern Territory has only two seasons, the Big Wet & the Big Dry, when the Tropic of Capricorn passes through Rockhampton, Queensland as well as Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, well south of Darwin, where the Yolngu people live. But those two extra seasons might very well be translated "Knock'em down" & "Build'em up", as the dry Dhaarratharramirri waxes and wanes, into the monsoonal wet season.

@Stargazer: I've heard Northern Hemisphere meteorologists often refer to the first method of counting the seasons (the beginning of each of those months), calling it "meteorological spring/summer/fall/winter" since it corresponds better to what we see in nature.

That is what we normally use in Australia. But the last couple of days have felt like winter has come early. And it isn't even 21st of the Month, let alone the 21st of June. Temperatures were down in some places, as low as -2C in the mountains. At Kosciuszko national park, it is still snowing. A lovely Antarctic air current has left us freezing cold. 🥶 Ouch!

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

The leaves of some of the trees that aren't Australian native flora, have been changing colour from yellow and orange to a deep red.

Beeaauuutiful! I am already longing for Autumn.  

We have had quite a few nights near freezing over the past couple of weeks. We have a brief warm spell now, but that is changing tonight, when nighttime temperatures drop to single digits again.

Considering we had many days of rain in a row earlier this month, we now have many days of no rain, as in nearly two weeks. But the grounds were well soaked, that's for sure, and there is little humidity in the air now ('though just wait until July ), so we should be okay.

The farmers, however, are wishing rains would come sooner, understandably. They are beginning to plant now, but the bulk of the planting will be done over the next few weeks. Last year we had corn behind us, so this year should be soy.  

The dawns and sunrises have been really lovely on my early morning walks. Even if I start out around 5:30 a.m., the dawn is already somewhat lightening the sky. The only star I can see now is Arcturus in the West, and even that fades quickly. 

I am hearing many, many birds on my walk (and at home): Baltimore orioles have just arrived, many woodpeckers, peacocks at various farms around, robins (of course), blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, chickadees, sparrows, finches, and on and on. We have feeders out front so are inundated with birds pretty much every second of the daylight hours.

Finally things were reasonably dry enough to plant all our potatoes, which I got in this morning, after my husband roto-tilled both veggie gardens on Wednesday. Such wonderfully-scented soil. Love getting my hands in the rich earth!  

The next few weeks look manageable in terms of not-terribly-hot. Hopefully that nasty humid weather will stay away until July (our hottest and driest month). Actually, hopefully it won't come at all this summer but that is a mighty high hope.  

Posted by: @jo

Beeaauuutiful! I am already longing for Autumn.  

Oh no no no, please, not yet. In England it's only just starting to feel like summer is on its way at last, after a cold winter and a very wet spring!!  

A couple of times lately, the temperature has even slipped over 20 C, which is "hot" to a British mentality and "just slightly warm" to an Aussie one. I've been revelling in seeing bluebells (my favourite British flower), and a few days ago I visited a couple of beautiful gardens in North Wales — Bodnant near Conwy, and Plas Cadnant on the island of Anglesey — full of rhododendrons (my favourite "exotic" flower). Many of them were just a little past their best, though, which means I ought to have been there a couple of weeks earlier to catch them at their peak. I've already pencilled in Bodnant, at least, for my birthday (20th April) next year.  

And the chestnut trees are now in full leaf with their tall clusters of flowers that remind me of candles somehow, and the hawthorn trees are covered with bright white blossom — May blossom, they call it in England, because of when it flowers, though I caught a few of them out in late April — and at last, some days at least, we're even getting enough sunshine to be able to enjoy it properly. And I had such a happy couple of days in Wales (staying in a B&B just outside Menai Bridge, which is a lovely little town on Anglesey) that I feel very refreshed and am thoroughly persuaded I should go there more often! (When I'm not knocking around in the Lake District or the Yorkshire Dales, that is. Honestly, ever since I quite unexpectedly moved to North West England (that's a long story) just under two years ago, I have been convinced I've landed somewhere pretty close to heaven on earth. )

Sounds like a fun trip, @Courtenay! I'd like to visit UK someday.

Yesterday was, to quote a local TV station, a "top 10 weather day." The high was about 75F/24C (but with humidity so low it was comfortable), light winds, nice blue sky, and no bugs.

Today is quite different. It's a bit warmer, but smoke blowing in from wildfires in Alberta made the sky gray and the sun orange even when high in the sky. Air quality alerts were issued for people with respiratory issues, but those have since expired. Even the sunlight has an eerie, orange quality, and sunrise was spectacular this morning. The sunset tonight should also be amazing, and it's likely that only the brightest stars will shine through the smoke tonight.

Two weeks until winter, and the ground here is somewhat sodden, but today we have 17 degrees C and a sunny blue sky. Nice to see it, and feel the warmth.

Lovely, Courtenay!  

Yes, those Alberta wildfires are really something. Terrible.   We, too, have that fire haze above Ontario as the smoke drifts hundreds of miles our way.

 We will be heading into our second week of no precipitation, so are anticipating this Saturday's rainfall, hopefully a very decent amount. We have frost expected for three nights this week: last night through Thursday night. I have purchased a fair number of plants already, but knew not to plant them with frost possible in our area through the weekend ... and even past that a bit, although freezing beyond our May 24th long weekend is rare, but certainly not unheard of. We covered all the plants with tarps and brought a few inside: they all look to be in fine condition this morning, but surely would have been nipped quite badly if we had not protected them.

Loving this weather: around freezing at night; a couple of days are in the mid-teens Celsius, or a bit lower (high 50sF). It was glorious walking at -3 (plus a bit of a wind chill) this morning. This feels like Autumn!  

It is warming up some for our long holiday weekend, 'though still comfortable. Campfires, here we come!  

Much of Minnesota was under a frost advisory last night, though we escaped here due to the urban heat island.

The wildfire smoke has been temporarily scrubbed from our atmosphere but is expected to return tomorrow. It was especially bad this past Thursday, when it reached ground levels, limiting visibility and prompting "unhealthy for all" air quality advisories. It looked like a dark overcast - something like those low clouds in winter - but there were no clouds, just smoke, at the time.

This is the first weekend in the past half-dozen that doesn't have rain or snow in it. A campfire is likely tonight, I think.

Posted by: @coracle

Two weeks until winter, and the ground here is somewhat sodden, but today we have 17 degrees C and a sunny blue sky. Nice to see it, and feel the warmth.

Yesterday, we had the coldest May 20th day for 4 years, with 5C degrees at 6.AM and 19C at lunchtime. We are supposed to be having a dry winter & a very hot summer this year. At the moment, I am freezingly cold. 🥶 But it is not as cloudy as the forecast predicted. 

It's the beginning of the long Memorial Day weekend in the US, often considered the unofficial start to summer.

Here in the Upper Midwest May is among the rainiest of months, and rain during this long weekend is likely. But the weather this weekend looks spectacular, with no rain clouds in sight. Temperatures will get summer-like next week, with highs around 90F/32C and humidity. The local weather people are saying this is the first Memorial Day weekend since 2007 to not have rain.

The mosquitoes are out in force now, and the maple trees are dropping their seeds (we called them "helicopters" as kids) in vast quantities.

Stargazer, we had frost for a few nights when you had those advisories. We had to cover some tender plants, and thankfully everything survived just fine. But they might have been nipped if we had not protected them. It was beautiful those days - crisp, cool, refreshing.

Very different than the past week when we have been hit with an early-season heat wave, ugh. No rain for nearly two weeks now. Heat records may be set for today's date and most likely tomorrow too. Then relief starts arriving, as we move to more seasonal all through next week, whew! This current extensive period of blue skies, burning sun, high heat, and no relief with clouds or rain is a challenge for me, personally, to be sure. 'Tis summer in Ontario!  

Posted by: @waggawerewolf27

At the moment, I am freezingly cold. 

Sends wagga a hot water bottle. Is it still quite chilly there?

Posted by: @stargazer

The mosquitoes are out in force now, and the maple trees are dropping their seeds (we called them "helicopters" as kids) in vast quantities.

Ditto here for both the mosquitoes and the maple "helicopters": the former are abundant and annoying (it is said that they are extra bad and bountiful this year, and I agree!) ; the latter (also plentiful) are very pretty as they twirl down ... and they don't bite!  

Three weeks until our longest day, then the nights slowly start getting longer again (yay!), although this is not obvious until late July/early August. But there is still no significant rain in the forecast. Poor farmers, having planted all their fields, are longing for prolonged precipitation.

I'll send wagga some heat too. Summer has arrived here; today's record high is 92F/33C, set in 1945, but it is likely to be tied or broken today. And the humidity gives the air that heavy, dense feeling and makes it hazy. Similar temperatures are expected all week and some days will be even warmer.

It's hard to believe we had snow on the ground a few short weeks ago, and rivers flooding more recently than that, but we're also in need of rain for agriculture. The latest Drought Monitor shows 65% of Minnesota is now abnormally dry.