british summertime

[stylinsam]

when does it begin what date?

[liquidspace]

It began (apparently!) on 25th March.

[stylinsam]

really?????

[cascarelli]

Hey, it was 32 degrees C at the weekend - ok, that was inside the greenhouse, but it hasn't been that bad down here in Surrey (morning's are a bit cold though)

[liquidspace]

according to my diary yep!

[stylinsam]

not exactly summer though eh?xx

[stylinsam]

just looked on google and it says the summertime started 25th of march and ends 28th of october thats why i asked here cos i thought it was a bit odd?X?X

[Suzyboo]

Isn't that when the clocks change - hence the definition?

[stylinsam]

yeah but i thought it was spring as the expression goes spring forward!?x

[OBonio]

British Summer Time (BST) marks the start of daylight saving hours in the UK. As for British seasons, these are as follows :

* Spring - March to May
* Summer - June to August
* Autumn - September to November
* Winter - December to February

[Octavius]

Not really a Body & Soul Q, but I will answer anyhow as I am bored.

The Summer Time Act 1972 originally defined the period of British Summer Time to start at 2 am (GMT) on the morning of the day after the third Saturday in March or, if that was Easter Day, the day after the second Saturday. It was to end at 2 am (GMT) on the day after the fourth Saturday in October.

The duration of British Summer Time (BST) can be varied by Order of Council and in recent years has been changed so as to bring the date of the start of Summer Time into line with that used in Europe. So Summer time is now in force from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October.

This is different from �Summer� which does not officially begin until June.

[Quizmonster]

"Summertime" - the one-word season, as opposed to "summer time", the two word clock-changing phenomenon - officially begins at the solstice on 21st/22nd June and ends at the autumnal equinox on 21st/22nd September.
On that basis, Midsummer would be around the beginning of August! However, it is obvious that standard phrases such as "flaming June" and "hotter than a June bride in a feather bed" have nothing whatever to do with springtime phenomena, which that official definition would largely mean.
As the second definition of �summer', The Oxford English Dictionary (TOED) says:
"in popular use, comprising in the northern hemisphere the period from mid-May to mid-August."
Traditionally, Midsummer's Day was June 24th and - in a temperate climate such as ours - the seasons are all about the same length...ie 13 weeks or so. Accordingly, summertime would, in most people's view, begin some 6� weeks before June 24th, which is around May 10th , and end around August 9th. That fits almost perfectly with what TOED says.
So, you can take your pick...the official definition or the one that common language and experience tells you is so.
(Bear in mind that, if June 22nd is Day 1 of summer and June 24th is Midsummer's Day, then June 27th must be the first day of Autumn!!)

[nat_84]

Twas bloody freezing this morning!