Why We Have Seasons

The diagram above shows the relationship between Earth and the Sun throughout a year's time (365 days). The Earth is tilted slightly on it's axis, which creates variations in temperatures across the globe. Since we live in Florida, and you can easily make connections to your own experiences, I will use Florida as an example.

As we know, Florida is in the Northern Hemisphere. During the summer months, The Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so we have the warmest months during summer because more heat energy reaches Florida. The opposite of summer is winter, and winter months are the coldest. The Northern Hemisphere is tilted AWAY from the Sun during the winter months and less heat energy reaches our part of the globe at this distance compared to the summer.

Spring and Fall are the half-way points, and that is why you get a milder climate during these months. During the spring, the Northern Hemisphere is slowly moving back towards the Sun, creating warmer and warmer temperatures until we are in summer. During the fall, the Northern Hemisphere is slowly moving away from the Sun, creating cooler and cooler temperatures until we are in winter.

Since the Southern Hemisphere is the bottom of the Earth, they are completely opposite to us in the Northern Hemisphere! When it is winter here, it is summer there!