Even so, we still get weather typical of the season before the solstice or equinox - have any of you (in the northern hemisphere) ever gone outside in early June and thought "wow, typical spring weather!"? Yes, putting "midsummer" in the actual middle of summer doesn't make meteorological sense, but putting it smack dab at the beginning doesn't make sense either. If I were in charge of season labelling, then Dec 1 through Feb 28/29 would be winter, Mar 1 through May 30 would be spring, June 1 through Aug 31 would be summer, and Sep 1 through Nov 30 would be autumn. So, by MY definition of "spring," Jay was lying.
That definition is the one used by meteorologists and, as NoMoreFun notes, Aussies.
That's essentially correct, Schneau. The hottest day is when temperature is largest. The longest day is (statistically) when the derivative of temperature is largest.
Except that it isn't. The longest day (21 Jun) comes well after the day when the derivative of temperature is highest (around 01 May). Temperature only lags insolation by a month or so, not three months.
In Ohio, and other midwest/great lakes states, Summer is July-August, Winter is Nov-April, and spring/fall fill the gaps, respectively.
01 Oct to 30 Nov: Almost Winter
01 Dec to 30 Mar: Winter
01 Apr to 15 May: Still Winter
16 May to 30 Sept: Construction