I remember a quote from Francis Wilson when asked a similar question and he
said that the seasons (going by the plants, trees & animals response to
them) could be regarded in the southern half of England as:

Mid- November to Mid-February (Winter)
Mid-February to Mid-May (Spring)
Mid-May to Mid-September (Summer)
Mid-September to Mid-November (Autumn)

To me this makes more sense as it takes into account the natural cycle of
life throughout the year but is rather awkward for weather recording.

In the northern half of Britain he said that the standard seasonal months
mentioned in previous postings were more accurate.
______________________________
Nick

Worcester
45 AMSL
"John Hall" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Steve Jones writes:
I don't understand all this talk of an Indian summer for September. It
is still summer! At least till the autumnal equinox anyway.

What gives?

I don't think that this question is included in the newsgroup FAQ, but
the number of times it comes up perhaps it should be. As far as
meteorologists and climatologists are concerned, summer comprises the
months of June, July and August. Not only is it more convenient to have
seasons comprising complete months, but also the weather in June is
typically more summer-like than spring-like while in September it tends
to be more autumnal than summery.
--
John Hall "[It was] so steep that at intervals the street broke into
steps,
like a person breaking into giggles or hiccups, and then
resumed
its sober climb, until it had another fit of steps."
Ursula K Le Guin "The Beginning
Place"