Today is Meteorological Summer, but What does that Mean?

Today is the first day of meteorological summer. That poses the question, what is the difference between a meteorological season and an astronomical season?

Meteorologists and climatologists break the seasons down into groupings of three months. Those months depend on the temperatures.

This year summer officially occurs on Thursday, June 20, at 4:51 P.M. EDT. This is the astronomical season, which is based on the position of Earth in relation to the sun. The meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle.