tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498847203183398.post4683932489566253366..comments2024-03-29T11:00:39.953+00:00Comments on RevK<sup>®</sup>'s ramblings: Winter is comingRevKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12369263214193333422noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498847203183398.post-15696948829934931542017-11-02T09:07:44.530+00:002017-11-02T09:07:44.530+00:00It's funny, I've never wondered about the ...It's funny, I've never wondered about the definition of Winter. :-)<br /><br />- Howard Winter (yes, really!)HDRWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09148633895717850549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498847203183398.post-4038076895673612402017-10-30T17:41:01.108+00:002017-10-30T17:41:01.108+00:00And this is indeed why there is a difference betwe...And this is indeed why there is a difference between "continental weather" (extremes of temperature throughout the year) and "island weather".<br /><br />In the UK we have "island weather" in that the sea around us has a huge thermal mass and acts to moderate the temperatures throughout the year. So we have comparatively warm winters and cool summers.<br /><br />Compare to locations at similar latitudes but in the middle of a continent, such as the centres of Germany and Poland, Southern Canada, etc. With no sea nearby, they receive warm summers and much colder winters than we do.<br /><br />As someone who windsurfs in the sea throughout the year, the "lag" of sea temperatures is very apparent. I would usually be switching to a summer wetsuit in May even though the air temperature is quite reasonable through April - the sea is still pretty cold. Conversely, I'd be thinking about switching to a winter wetsuit in November because the air is cold, but the water is still comparatively warm.Steve Hillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798286430189689578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498847203183398.post-2353283062967223812017-10-30T15:07:47.219+00:002017-10-30T15:07:47.219+00:00Interesting and even more reason for an “astronomi...Interesting and even more reason for an “astronomical” definition to be centred on the solstice even if a local meteoralogical one is lagged.RevKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12369263214193333422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3993498847203183398.post-8512699597597834682017-10-30T15:04:24.275+00:002017-10-30T15:04:24.275+00:00The seasons don't lag because of the Earth (ro...The seasons don't lag because of the Earth (rock doesn't retain very much heat and releases it so incredibly slowly that it has next to no effect on a timescale of mere years). The seasons lag because of the *oceans*. As such, people in the middle of a continent will often experience the coldest months as being around the Equinox, as you suggest: it's only people stuck out on the edge of major oceans who experience the coldest month as being months later.Nick Alcockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06590610308528769844noreply@blogger.com