How to Calculate the Season Based on the Date

A calendar and listing of the equinoxes will allow you to determine the season.

The four seasons of the year are used to denote the different temperatures and weather encountered during the year. While the terms fall, summer, winter and spring are often used flexibly, such as talking about the cold winter air in early December when it is still fall, there are set dates that denote the start and end of the seasons, known as equinoxes. By consulting the equinoxes of the current year with the current date, you can determine the current season.

Instructions

1. Check the date on a calender.

2. Visit the U.S. Naval Observatory's website on equinox and solstice dates.

3. Locate the current year on the list of dates.

4. Compare the date with the equinox dates. If it is before the March equinox or after the December equinox, it is winter. If it is between the March equinox and the June equinox it is spring. If it is between the June equinox and September equinox, it is summer. If it is between the September equinox and December equinox, it is fall.

References

• National Maritime Museum: The Seasons

Resources

• U.S. Naval Observatory: Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion, 2000-2020