Weather and Seasons

There are several climatic zones on the earth – arctic, temperate and tropical. Spreading out from the equador is the tropical zone, then comes the temperate zone and finally the arctic one. The same think applies in the northern and southern hemispheres. Our country is situated in the central temperate zone. Other countries that are located in this zone also enjoy a European-type continental climate. It means that the winters are not too cold and summers are not too hot. In the moderate continental climate are some differences between summer and winter, but they are not so big. A year is divided into four seasons: spring, summer, fall (autumn) and winter. Each season lasts about three months and is attractive in some way.

Spring begins on the 21st March. Many people consider spring and summer the most beautiful seasons of the year and that’s why they usually fall in love in spring and také their holiday in summer. Nature begins to awake from its long winter sleep and new life begins. Nights get shorter and days get longer. There is more sunshine and it becomes warmer and warmer. Soon in gardens and woods the first flowers appear: white snowdrops and snowflakes, colored tulips, purple violets etc.  The weather in spring, especially in April is really unpredictible and changeable. Sometimes the sun shines or is overcast or it rains or it may even snow.

June 21st is the date when summer begins. Schoolchildren love this season because they have two months holidays. Everybody starts to interest in the weather because people set out on journeys and take vacations. The temperature rises to 25°C or more and we may have fine days in a row. Sky is clear and bright, it’s sunny and dead calm. Very often is long dry weather. In summer rain often comes in the form of storm. Then there is a crash of thunder and a flash of lightning. Summer is also the time for strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and the harvest of corn.

At the beginning of September when the new school year begins, summer in reality is over and on the 23rd September fall comes. In autumn the sun sets earlier and rises later and days get shorter. We can see the colored leaves, later the trees are bare. The weather becomes wet, rainy and it may drizzle. Many people go mushrooming. No wonder that in such a weather one may get cold easily and catch a cold or flu.

According to the calendar, winter comes on December 21st, but in fact it often begins earlier. Typical winter weather brings snowfall, icy wind and hard frosts. We can enjoy skiing in the mountains and hills covered with a thick layer of snow. Sometimes it’s sunny, sometimes it’s cloudy. Children like this season, because they can throw snowballs, build snowman or sled.
As the climate gets warmer, we miss a real winter more and more. That’s why the spring comes earlier, but only to the lowlands. In the highlands the winter lasts to the April.