Climate seasons in Venezuela and elsewhere

Question

In Venezuela, "winter" (invierno) is May to November, closer to what the northern hemisphere calls "summer". And "summer" (verano), December to April, fits more with with what we call winter.

How universal is this usage, in the hispanic world? Perhaps applicable in equatorial zone?

Here's a text from a web link: https://www.101viajes.com/venezuela/tiempo-venezuela

Venezuela tiene dos estaciones distintivas: el invierno, que va de Mayo a Noviembre, es la estación húmeda, con temperaturas entre los 24° C y los 27° C; el verano, que va de Diciembre a Abril, es la estación seca, la temperatura puede ascender hasta 32° C durante el día. Sin embargo, lo que realmente ocasiona los cambios de temperatura es la variación en la altitud, y no la época del año. La zona de la costa y las planicies tienen temperaturas altas durante todo el año. La temperatura promedio va descendiendo a medida que se asciende en altura.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invierno En algunos países de la zona intertropical se denomina invierno a la estación lluviosa de mayor precipitación y pluviosidad. :) - bosquederoble, Mar 21, 2017

I do not have personal experience with the term to tell you how universal it is. - bosquederoble, Mar 21, 2017

Answer 1

Ah, it really has to do with the Earth's tilt. Summers and winters are the opposite of each other depending upon the northern or southern hemisphere. For the same reason liquids drain in the opposite direction. Fill your kitchen sink and let the water drain. If you live in the in the north, it will drain clockwise. If you were in Buenos Aires, for example, and drained the sink, it would go counterclockwise.

Isn't the entirety of Venezuela in the Northern Hemisphere. As I put in my comment originally, I believe it has to do with how the wet season and the dry season are interpreted. :) - bosquederoble, Mar 21, 2017

yes bosquederobi, I think it is wet/dry not the seasons as DonBigote says. This is why Iaski. - hharmony, Mar 21, 2017