Summer
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225715491
2008-07-15T01:26:52Z
B.d.mills
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Deleted inaccurate information re length of season - not true for southern hemisphere
{{Unreferenced|date=February 2008}}
{{otheruses}}
{{Weather nav}}
'''Summer''' is one of the four [[temperate]] [[season]]s. Summer marks the [[heat|warmest]] time of year with the longest days.
==Dates==
[[Image:Field Hamois Belgium Luc Viatour.jpg|left|thumb|250px|A field in summer]]
The seasons are popularly considered in some Western countries to start at the [[equinox]]es and [[solstice]]s, based on [[astronomy|astronomical]] reckoning. Thus, in the Northern hemisphere, based on astronomy, summer begins on the day of the June [[solstice]] and ends on the September [[equinox]]. When it is summer in the [[northern hemisphere]] it is winter in the [[southern hemisphere]], and vice versa.
But, because the [[seasonal lag]] is less than 1/10th of a year (except near large bodies of water), the [[meteorology|meteorological]] start of the season, which is based on average temperature patterns, precedes by about three weeks the start of the astronomical season.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} According to meteorologists, summer extends for the whole months of December, January and February in the southern hemisphere, and the whole months of June, July and August in the northern hemisphere. This meteorological definition of summer also aligns with the commonly viewed notion of summer as the season with the longest (and warmest) days of the year, in which daylight predominates. From the astronomical perspective, spring days lengthen from equinox to solstice and summer days shorten from solstice to equinox, while meteorological summer encompasses the build-up to the longest day and a diminishing thereafter, so that summer has many more hours of daylight than spring.
Today, the meteorological reckoning of the seasons is used in Australia, Denmark and the former USSR; it is also used by many people in the [[United Kingdom]], where summer is thought of as extending from mid-May to mid-August. In [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], summer begins on [[1 May]] and ends [[31 July]], by the [[Irish calendar]]. Meanwhile, the astronomical definition is more frequently used in the [[United States]].
In general, seasonal changes occur later in coastal regions, so countries lying near coastlines (except Ireland) experience the start of summer later than those lying inland.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Elsewhere, however, the solstices and the equinoxes are taken to mark the mid-points, not the beginnings, of the seasons. In [[Chinese astronomy]], for example, summer starts on or around [[May 5]], with the ''[[Jieqi|jiéqì]]'' ([[solar term]]) known as [[Lixia]] (''立夏''), i.e. "establishment of summer", and it ends on or around [[August 6]]. An example of Western usage would be [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', where the play takes place over the shortest night of the year, which is the summer solstice.
In southern and southeast Asia, where the [[monsoon]] occurs, summer is more generally defined as lasting from March to May/early June, their warmest time of the year, ending with the onset of the monsoon [[rain]]s.{{Fact|date=May 2008}}
From a popular culture point of view, in the United States summer season, is often considered to begin at the [[Memorial Day]] [[weekend]] (the last Monday in May) and end at the [[Labor Day]] weekend (the first Monday in September). Likewise, another set of pop-culural reference points for summer is the time when elementary and secondary schools close down for the "summer vacation". This period usually lasts from around June 7-10 until around August 25-30.
==Effects==
[[Image:Maceio Alagoas Brasil.PNG|thumb|right|Summer in [[Maceió]], [[Brazil]].]]
In most countries children are out of school during this time of year for [[summer holidays]], although dates vary. Some begin as early as mid-May, although in England, from the ages of 5-18, school ends in the middle of July. In the Southern Hemisphere, school holiday dates include the major holidays of [[Christmas]] and [[New Year's Day]]. Summer school holidays in Australia begin a few days before Christmas and end in late January to mid-February, with the dates varying in different states.
Summer is an important season for the social agenda of individuals. Generally, the summer season in most regions of the world has an evident increase in [[tourism]].
[[Outdoor activity]] is also a hobby, taken by many people during this season, due to the favorable conditions.
[[Leisure]] tasks are also associated with summer, due to the number of people on [[vacation]].
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Ambrogio Lorenzetti 009.jpg|''Summer'', a fresco by [[Ambrogio Lorenzetti]]
Image:Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Summer, 1573.jpg|An [[allegory]] by [[Giuseppe Arcimboldo]]
</gallery>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Unreferenced|date=May 2008}}
{{Seasons}}
[[Category:Summer| ]]
[[ar:صيف]]
[[ast:Branu]]
[[gn:Arahaku]]
[[ay:Panqara phaxsi]]
[[ba:Йәй]]
[[be:Лета]]
[[bs:Ljeto]]
[[br:Hañv]]
[[bg:Лято]]
[[ca:Estiu]]
[[cv:Çулла]]
[[cs:Léto]]
[[cy:Haf]]
[[da:Sommer]]
[[de:Sommer]]
[[et:Suvi]]
[[el:Καλοκαίρι]]
[[myv:Кизэ (шкань вал)]]
[[es:Verano]]
[[eo:Somero]]
[[eu:Uda]]
[[fa:تابستان]]
[[fr:Été]]
[[fur:Istât]]
[[gl:Verán]]
[[zh-classical:夏]]
[[ko:여름]]
[[hi:ग्रीष्म ऋतु]]
[[hr:Ljeto]]
[[id:Musim panas]]
[[is:Sumar]]
[[it:Estate]]
[[he:קיץ]]
[[ka:ზაფხული]]
[[sw:Kipindi cha Kiangazi]]
[[ht:Lete]]
[[ku:Havîn]]
[[la:Aestas]]
[[lt:Vasara]]
[[hu:Nyár]]
[[mk:Лето]]
[[mr:उन्हाळा]]
[[ms:Musim panas]]
[[nah:Xōpan]]
[[nl:Zomer]]
[[nds-nl:Zoemer]]
[[ja:夏]]
[[no:Sommer]]
[[nn:Sommar]]
[[nrm:Êté]]
[[uz:Yoz]]
[[pl:Lato]]
[[pt:Verão]]
[[ro:Vară]]
[[qu:Ruphay mit'a]]
[[ru:Лето]]
[[st:Lehlabula]]
[[sq:Vera (stinë)]]
[[scn:Estati]]
[[simple:Summer]]
[[sk:Leto]]
[[sl:Poletje]]
[[sr:Лето]]
[[sh:Leto]]
[[fi:Kesä]]
[[sv:Sommar]]
[[th:ฤดูร้อน]]
[[vi:Mùa hạ]]
[[tg:Тобистон]]
[[tr:Yaz]]
[[uk:Літо]]
[[ur:موسم گرما]]
[[vec:Istà]]
[[fiu-vro:Suvi]]
[[vls:Zomer]]
[[yi:זומער]]
[[diq:Amnan]]
[[bat-smg:Vasara]]
[[zh:夏季]]