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First Day of Seasons: 2013

When Do Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring Begin?

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See chart below to see the exact dates and times for the first day of each season in 2013—namely, the summer solstice, fall or autumnal equinox, winter solstice, and spring or vernal equinox.

Why do the seasons change? The four seasons are determined by shifting sunlight (not heat!)—which is determined by how our planet orbits the Sun and the tilt of its axis.

  • The first day of summer—the summer solstice—is the longest day of the year, the Sun reaches its most northern point in the sky at local noon. After this date, the days start getting shorter. See our First Day of Summer page!
     
  • On the first day of fall—the autumnal equinox—day and night are each about 12 hours long (with the actual time of equal day and night, in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring a few days after the autumnal equinox). The Sun crosses the celestial equator going southward; it rises exactly due east and sets exactly due west. See our First Day of Fall page!
     
  • The start of winter—the winter solstice—is the shortest day of the year, when the Sun reaches its most southern point in the sky at local noon. After this date, the days start getting longer. See our First Day of Winter page!
     
  • On the first day of spring—the vernal equinox—day and night are each approximately 12 hours long (with the actual time of equal day and night, in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring a few days before the vernal equinox). The Sun crosses the celestial equator going northward; it rises exactly due east and sets exactly due west. See our First Day of Spring page!

     

    Equinox solstice cycle
    Credit: NASA

    Seasons of 2013:
    SPRING EQUINOX March 20, 7:02 A.M. EDT
    SUMMER SOLSTICE June 21, 1:04 A.M. EDT
    FALL EQUINOX September 22, 4:44 P.M. EDT
    WINTER SOLSTICE December 21, 12:11 P.M. EST
    Seasons of 2014:
    SPRING EQUINOX March 20, 12:57 P.M. EDT
    SUMMER SOLSTICE June 21, 6:51 A.M. EDT
    FALL EQUINOX September 22, 10:29 P.M. EDT
    WINTER SOLSTICE December 21, 6:03 P.M. EST

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Comments

what are the best dates to

By john morton on June 10

what are the best dates to cut hair by the moon(length,strength,beauty,root work,thicken) and how did you arrive at those dates? Your resources? I a doing a personal report on cutting hair by the moon.

Hello, John, You can find our

By Almanac Staff on June 11

Hello, John, You can find our best dates for cutting hair in the current Almanac and here: http://www.almanac.com/bestdays/timetable The dates are based on the astrological Moon's place and the effects of the Moon on gravity and growth.

There is a great site that

By Indenim on June 3

There is a great site that details the actual progress of the seasons as based on the quarters and cross-quarters: http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/ - it also provides an animated star clock that shows where we currently are in the orbit of the earth as of today and the tilt of the earth as it progresses through the orbital cusp point. Also, it was earlier mentioned that the tilt of the earth's axis is 23.5 degrees - that is incorrect - the current tilt of the earth's axis (as of mid-2013) is 23.439 degrees. The tilt of the earth's axis is affected by many factors, some regular and predictable (related to the precession of the equinoctes and the effecct of lunar gravity) and others unpredicatble (e.g. redistribution of mass due to earthquakes) - for instance, the great earthquakes of 2004 in the Indian Ocean basin and in 2011 at Japan in the Pacific Ocean basin actually slightly affected the tilt of the earth by moving larges masses of the Earth's material closer to the centre of the Earth. The Earth's axial tilt is currently decreasing, and may vary between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees. It is postulated that when the Earth's tilt is at the maximum point of 24.5 degrees is when ice ages typically occur - and as well, ice ages also have an effect on the axial tilt, since they redistribute large amounts of mass (i.e., ice) towards the geographic poles. The after-affect of this mass redistribution is still being felt due to crustal rebound of areas of the Earth that were under massive volumes of ice during the most recent ice age (for instance, the Hudson Bay basin in Canada is currently rebounding by close to 2cm per annum due to the removal of the Laurentian ice sheet following this most recent period of global climate warming [unrelated, BTW, to any human-induced warming of the climate]).

Are there different first

By Lola Stepehens

Are there different first days of seasons in different countries? Im doing a report and can't answer what date spring starts in Greece.

The astronomical definition

By Almanac Staff

The astronomical definition of when a season begins (such as the March equinox: spring in the Northern hemisphere; fall in the southern) applies everywhere around the world (a set point in time, converted to local time zone).

However, different countries may celebrate the seasons at different times. For example, in Bulgaria, March 1 is often celebrated as the beginning of spring. Also on March 1, Helidonismata is a traditional Greek observance that celebrates the return of the swallows, marking spring's return, as well.

You might also be interested in Greek mythology as it relates to spring: the story of Demeter and Persephone.

the references to 'the

By Ted Alsop

the references to 'the longest day' and the 'shortest day' is in error. Each day of the year consists of 24 hours--it's the length of daylight hours that varies! I recommend you change the word day to daylight in order to be accurate.

Actually, To call a day

By Tomatha on June 6

Actually, To call a day exactly 24 hours is incorrect in every regard except the one on people's wrists (that is to say, the times when we arbitrarily assign tasks so everyone has a medium of understanding.) Also, the day varies by several seconds from thousands of subtle variables (including the earth's distance from the sun.)

Due east at the equator.

By Anonymous2222

Due east at the equator. It's always slightly south (or more) north of the tropic of cancer in the northern hemisphere.

Used to love the

By Ol Yankee

Used to love the Almanac...but it got too full of ad nonsense and yuppie eco-fashionista fluff pieces. I prefer my favorite small town cafe for the real news of the seasons.

The Old Farmer's Almanac has

By Almanac Staff

The Old Farmer's Almanac has not really changed in over 220 years. Hope you will check it out again and see that it is remarkably similar from cover to calendar pages.

I agree, the Old Farmer's

By celtblood

I agree, the Old Farmer's Almanac has maintained a consistent style throughout it's many decades of publication, and it is an indispensible tool for those of us who prefer to plant by the Moon, just as crucial as any hoe or sickle. (I only wish they'd correct the mis-naming of Summer and Winter Solstices as the beginning of those respective seasons-- they actually fall in the middle of them.)

does every season being on

By Uyen

does every season being on every full moon

No. As mentioned in the

By Almanac Staff

No. As mentioned in the article above, the first day of the season is determined by how our planet orbits the Sun and the tilt of its axis.

Is Dec. 21, 2012 the first

By Paul Taalman

Is Dec. 21, 2012 the first day of winter 2012 or the first day of winter 2013? Didn't we go through the winter of 2012 back in January of this year? So on March 20th, 2013 (the first day of Spring 2013) will we have just finished the winter of 2012 or the winter of 2013? Please clarify.
Regards,
Paul

As you've noticed, the winter

By Almanac Staff

As you've noticed, the winter season spans the end of one year and the beginning of the next in the Gregorian calendar. December 21, 2012, at 6:12 am EST starts the first day of winter 2012/2013 (often just listed as winter 2012). Winter 2013/2014 (winter 2013) would begin on December 21, 2013, at 12:11 pm EST.

In astronomy, each year in the Northern Hemisphere can be defined as beginning with the spring (vernal) equinox in March. The summer solstice occurs in June, the autumnal equinox in September, and the winter solstice in December. Astronomically speaking, in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice is defined as when the Sun reaches its greatest declination (23-1/2 degrees) south of the celestial equator, around December 21. So, winter 2012 marks the time when the first day of winter begins for 2012/2013. It's the time when the Sun reaches its southernmost declination for the year 2012.

If December 21st is the first

By celtblood

If December 21st is the first day of Winter, why has it been referred to as Midwinter through the centuries? Is December 21st (or 20th, as it varies) not the point in time when the days are the shortest, with the next day being the time when the days begin to lengthen? And would this not, in turn, dictate that Winter proper actually begins in November? Would it not have to follow that Midsummer/Summer Solstice marks the high point of the Sun's energy and, after this, the shortening of our annual cycle of daylight hours through until the Midwinter/Winter Solstice, when the days begin to lengthen once again? If so, how could the Summer Solstice possibly be the beginning of Summer or the Winter Solstice possibly be the beginning of Winter?

The Celts divided the year into two major halves, Winter and Summer, with the cross-quarter events being the Spring Equinox and the Autumnal Equinox. The year began on November 1st, the beginning of Winter. Midwinter was genuinely the middle of Winter, ending on the Spring Equinox as Winter began to wane and the foliage bloomed. Summer officially began on May 1st, as by this time the growing season was in full swing, with the last vestiges of the Winter season behind us. Midsummer, the longest day, was the beginning of the waning cycle, as Summer began to move toward Winter. The Autumnal Equinox (generally the approximate harvest time) marked the manifestation of the seasonal changes preceeding Winter's arrival, again on November 1st. Since agriculture was the dominant industry, this reflected the agrarian/astronomical calendar cycle, which was the basis for our modern calendars.

I've addressed this before, and am still perplexed as to why anyone would insist on referring to the Winter and Summer solstices as the beginning of their respective seasons, when they clearly are not at all.

These MID-Summer and MID-Winter designations are the correct astronimical divisions of the year, as they are based on the actual effect of the solar cycle on the Earth's seasons.

I realise there are all these newer ideologies and theories on when the seasons begin and end (meteorlogical, temperature and regional variances, etc.), but the fact remains that Midsummer and Midwinter are precisely that-- the middle of these seasons, and not by any means the beginning. (Unless, of course, the Sun is wrong in his astronomical movements, and if so someone had better inform him.)

Yes, the definition of when a

By Almanac Staff

Yes, the definition of when a season begins can vary between countries, cultures, organizations, and individuals. For example, the ancient Celts considered equinoxes and solstices (called quarter days) as the midway points of the seasons. Their cross-quarter days (halfway between quarter days) were the beginning of the seasons. Astronomically speaking, however, the seasons begin at the equinoxes and solstices, which define four unique points along Earth’s orbit, in which the Northern or Southern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun (summer), away from the Sun (winter), or is neutral--neither leaning toward nor away from the Sun (spring, autumn).

An astronomical definition does not directly take into account what is going on within Earth’s atmosphere. Other definitions focus on how the Sun’s intensity (energy) or heat affects the surface. A meteorological definition of seasons, for example, often is based on temperature. An international meteorological definition separates the year into groups of three months: March 1 is the beginning of spring; June 1 starts summer; September 1, autumn; and December 1, winter. However, days of greatest warmth and cold (on average), or length of season, can vary by region depending on their proximity to water, latitude, prevailing winds, etc.

Other seasonal definitions take into account annual responses by plants and animals. Or, define the seasons according to religious or cultural criteria.

For The Old Farmer’s Almanac, because we are a calendar of the heavens, we officially use the astronomical definition. But, we certainly agree that there is more than one way to define when the seasons begin.

Dear OFA...How do I love

By H20Sun&Fun

Dear OFA...How do I love thee? In many countless ways! Keep on keeping on!

Great Website. 09/17/2012,

By Doctor Stone

Great Website.

09/17/2012, Monday

I initially visited this website in order to determine the exact date and time of The Autumnal Equinox, and The Winter Solstice for 2012, which [according to the valuable information available here] is 09/22/2012, Saturday and 12/21/2012, Friday. While I was here I read some other very interesting information also. This is great website with wonderful resources. Thank you. Dr. Stone / Tampa, Florida, United States.

Is this winter nit the end of

By Big Bill

Is this winter nit the end of the Mayan Calender as we understand it. I was told it is the precise moment that all the planets will allign in a strait line for the first time in many centuries. the dawn of a new era as it seems. will be interesting to see if it is really just another y2k

Hi, Big Bill, It's a myth.

By Almanac Staff

Hi, Big Bill, It's a myth. See more in our free Almanac Companion enewsletter here: http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=3a44d786956aa578740994626&id=48413fa70e

Here is an excellent article

By Linda Monr

Here is an excellent article showing some Christian and Jewish traditions that revolve around the summer solstice. http://www.examiner.com/article/christianity-and-the-summer-solstice

I have been waiting for

By Jeff Tatum

I have been waiting for 2012-12-21 for 40 years. I didn't even know if I would still be here. Now just 180 days.......... I don't think anything will happen, but I will be up before the Chicken. Just in case. LOL

There are several

By Almanac Staff

There are several interpretations as to when each season begins.
In North America, calendars commonly use the astronomical definition. It is true that various countries, cultures, religions, organizations, and individuals may use definitions other than the astronomical. Because we are an almanac that provides astronomical data, however, that’s why we use the astronomical definition. For our weather predictions, however, we start with a more meteorological definition by providing Nov-March “winter” predictions, Apr-May for spring, June-Aug for summer and Sept/Oct for fall. Hope this is helpful. --Your OFA editors

I am afraid that I must agree

By SCV

I am afraid that I must agree with Jonathan. It is not simply "various countries, cultures, religions. . ." that define seasons in a variety of ways, but more so different latitudes. The so-called "astronomical" dates might seem to be more objective and authoritative, but in defining seasons as phenomena that occur uniformly across an entire hemisphere, we ignore the curvature of the earth and the tremendous variation in climate that occurs between the equator and the poles. The astronomical dates might make sense for someone living on the moon and seeing the earth as a flat disc, but for those of us living on the surface of the earth, seasons start and end at a variety of times. I think that the OFA should resist the popular compulsion to have "official" dates for the seasons and instead accept the more scientifically and historically accurate definition of seasons as annual changes in levels of sunlight, temperature, and precipitation that vary according to latitude and climate.

I am sorry but your

By Jonathan

I am sorry but your contention that the first day of spring is the equinox, the first day of summer the solstice, etc., simply is not true. The so called beginning of summer (the summer solstice around June 21st) and the end (the equinox around Sept 21 or 22) is merely the astronomical beginning and end of summer, nothing more nothing less. The meteorological beginning and end of summer is June 1st and August 31st respectively. I, and I think most people, tend to consider the meteorological time to be more accurate. Contrary to popular belief there is no official beginning and end of the seasons. No scientific or governmental body has ever formally bestowed such a designation. Again, June 21 or 22 to Sept. 21 or 22 (or Sep. 21 to Dec. 21 for Fall, etc.) are merely the astronomical beginning and end of summer it is not the "official" beginning or ending. For more information go here:

Is it true that you can

By Den

Is it true that you can balance an egg during the spring equinox ??

Yes, it is true and I did it.

By zedex99

Yes, it is true and I did it. I am trying to post one of the photos I took but haven't had any luck yet. If anyone knows how to post a JPEG here please adda acomment with the methodology.

Thank you for this great

By Munchesmom

Thank you for this great info! Spring is my fav season. Even wrote a paper on Spring when I had to take English Comp (tested out of it 40 years ago as a college freshman) in the late 90s as a prereq to getting my RN degree. Love "The Farmer's Almanac," and grew up with it always on the shelf next to the phone back in the day. Thanks bunches!

On Mar 17th the sunrise and

By question

On Mar 17th the sunrise and sunset will be exactly 12 hours apart..so how do they come up with the 20th?

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