Climatic Seasons

times of the year distinguished by characteristics of climate. The division of the year into seasons differs from one climatic zone to another. In the equatorial zone, with uniform moisture and temperature, it is of no purpose to divide the year into climatic seasons. In subequatorial zones, where there is a pronounced cycle of precipitation, there are dry and rainy seasons. The monsoon tropics have a dry winter and wet summer, as well as short transitional seasons with a succession of monsoons; the spring prior to the summer monsoon is often warmer than the summer. Four independent seasons— spring, summer, autumn, and winter—can be readily distinguished in the middle latitudes. In the polar regions, spring and fall are short transitional seasons.