The winter season is between autumn and spring. It is associated with plunging temperatures and icy weather, but its impact and timing change according to location. The colder temperatures are experienced farther away from the equator. Despite the changing seasons, temperatures in the tropics stay constant. The equator gets more sunlight due to the curve of the Earth.
Most people think winter begins at the winter solstice, but there are two different definitions of winter.
Most people think of winter as when the sun is at its lowest point in the year. The winter solstice is when the sun is directly over the equator. It occurs in the Southern Hemisphere around June 21 and in the Northern Hemisphere around December 21. It is the shortest day of the year, and has been noted and celebrated by a wide variety of cultures around the world.
The NWS says that the pole is tipped about 23.5 degrees away from the sun at the winter solstice. The North Pole is farther away from the star than the Southern Hemisphere is.
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Winter weather tends to fall before the middle of December or June according to people who engage in winter sports. The meteorological winter is from December to March. It is based on the annual temperature cycle and the calendar.
People living in the Northern Hemisphere are more likely to experience a cold winter than people in the Southern Hemisphere. All of the cold countries in the world are located in the Northern Hemisphere. According to Earth and World, these include: In the Southern Hemisphere, it is technically the warmest region on Earth.
Why do so many countries in the Northern Hemisphere get so cold? The size of a land mass, the location of a polar region and the amount of ocean coverage are some of the differences between the two hemispheres.
First, there are larger areas of land at higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, such as Greenland, the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, and the frigid tundras of North America, Europe and Asia. The World Atlas says that 32% of Earth's land is in the Northern Hemisphere.
The bigger land mass in the Southern Hemisphere is closer to the equator and no countries are located below the ice-covered Circle.
The ocean is a temperature moderator. According to the book Atmospheric Temperature Profiles of the Northern Hemisphere, the oceans cover 81% of the Southern Hemisphere. All of the water helps keep temperatures stable and warmer than land.
There are many changes in the world during winter. Some animals migrate during the winter to another area for a season. According to the book Animal movement Across Scales, animals go to warmer areas during the winter. According to a report by the World Wildlife Fund, some bird species are laying eggs earlier in response to global warming. Some birds that normally migrate have stopped doing so in Europe.
According to Live Science, a professor of chemistry at York College of Pennsylvania and an associate professor of chemistry at York College of Pennsylvania said that species movement has to do with changes in habitat. Staying warm isn't the only thing migration is about. Animals can be forced out of their normal habitat due to changes in their food supply and the introduction of newbacteria or viruses where they have poor resistance.
During the winter, other animals begin a period of sleep and rest. According to World Atlas, animals may be able to keep up with their food needs during the winter.
Some animals may change their appearance. According to the journal Biological Reviews, hares and foxes may change their colors to blend into the snowy landscape better. The snowshoe hair is brown in the warm months, but turns white in the snow, according to National Geographic. The fur of other animals might be thicker to help them stay warm.
The lowest temperature on record is in Antarctica. On August 10, 2010, scientists recorded a temperature of minus 136 degrees F on the East Antarctic Plateau.
According to The Weather Channel, the lowest temperature in the United States was in Alaska in 1971. The mercury dropped to minus 80 F in the north of the state.
Some winters host more extreme weather than others. There are some extreme storms listed.
In March 1993 a storm system formed over the Gulf of Mexico and blanketed the Eastern United States with snow, tornadoes, and hurricanes. As far south as Jacksonville, Florida, the snow fell during the storm. Many Southern states were not prepared for the need for large-scale snow removal and were shut down completely.
More than 800 deaths were caused by a cold wave in Europe in February of 2012 Records were set for many countries when the temperature reached as low as minus 38.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The canals of Venice and the second-longest river in Europe, the Danube, froze. Parts of the Sahara were covered in snow during the storm. Tens of thousands of people were trapped by snow and ice.
In less than 24 hours, temperatures plummeted from 60 degrees down to single digits, according to the Star Tribune. Up to 80 mph (129 km/h) winds pushed snow into 20-foot drifts across the Midwest. Many duck hunters were trapped in remote areas when the weather changed.
The History Channel states that a snowstorm blanketed the northeastern United States, from Maine down to Washington, D.C., with 55 inches of snow. New York and New Jersey had almost three and a half feet of snow, while Connecticut and Massachusetts had over four feet. The New England Historical Society says 400 people were killed in the storm.
In the winter of 1783, Europe's temperatures dropped to as low as 3.6 degrees F.
The Little Ice Age, which occurred between the 14th and 19th centuries, was a significant period of extreme cold. The study states that several volcanic eruptions triggered the expansion of the sea ice and set off a chain reaction of lower temperatures around the world.
The History Channel states that the climate has been tied to many trends and events, such as the Black Death, the Thirty Years' War, and the French Revolution.
Life-threatening medical conditions can be brought on by cold winters. Hypothermia is when a human's body temperature drops below 95 F. Cold temperatures and wind chill can cause a person to have a body temperature drop in a matter of minutes.
The freezing of skin and tissue can be caused by the cold. Other factors include the age of the individual, quicker onset in small children, or if an individual has less than optimal circulation to the hands.
It is important to keep your skin dry and covered during cold weather. Rewarming the patient is the primary treatment after a person has been exposed to cold.
This article by SPACE.com shows when the middle of winter is. You can read more about the temperatures in Antarctica at the British Antarctic Survey website.
The Atmospheric Temperature Profiles of the Northern Hemisphere. Young Yee, Kueyson Y. Yee, and Erik Y. Yee. Springer Science & Business Media is a book.
The movement of animals across scales. Chapman, B. B., Wellenreuther, M., Hansson, L. A., and Nilsson, J.
Function and underlying mechanisms of seasonal colour moulting in mammals and birds are what keeps them changing in a warming world.
Unusual Volcanic Episode Rapidly Triggered Little Ice Age Researchers. The American Geophysical Union has a press release.
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