For example: the autumnal equinox was yesterday, but meteorological autumn starts September 1st. Why the disconnect?
In: Planetary Science
Lets say you put a pan of water on the stove. The water does not immediately boil when you put on the heat. It takes some time for the water to heat up and eventually boil. And when you turn off the heat the water does not immediately get cold. In fact it will probably still boil for several seconds, maybe a minute and then slowly cool down over the next hour.
It is the same with the Earth. When the Sun gets higher in the sky during the spring the ground and bedrock is still very cold. There may still be snow on the ground even at spring equinox. It takes months for the Sun to be able to heat up the ground so you can enjoy a proper warm summer day. And the ground is still quite warm even as the Sun gets lower in the sky. So you still have warm weather even at autumn equinox.
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