WINTER

WINTER

December, January and February in the nd June, July and August in the  The coldest average temperatures of the season are typically experienced in January in the Northern hemisphere and in June or July in the Southern hemisphere. Nighttime predominates the winter season, and in some regions it has the highest rate oas well as prolonged dampness because of permanent snow cover or high precipitation rates coupled with low temperatures, precluding evaporation.  often develop and cause many transportation delays. A rare meteorological phenomenon encountered during winter is, which comprises suspended in the air; it occurs only at very low temperatures, below about –30°C (–22°F)

Astronomically, the  being the day of the year which has fewest hours of daylight, ought to be the middle of the season, but  means that the coldest period normally follows the solstice, so the season is sometimes regarded (in the USA and Britain) as beginning at the solstice and ending on the following . In thedepending on the year, this corresponds to the period between 21 or 22 December and 20 or 21 March. Meteorologists in the UK consider winter to be the three coldest months of December, January and February. In Scandinavia, winter traditionally begins on 14 October and ends on the last day of February In many countries in the  including AustraliaNew Zealand and South Africa, winter begins on 1 June and ends on 31 August. In Brazil the winter begins on June 21 and ends on September 23. In such as Ireland (using the  and in Scandinavia, the winter solstice is traditionally considered as midwinter, with the winter season beginning 1 November, on  or  Winter ends and spring begins on  or  which is 1 or 2 February . This system of seasons is based on the length of days exclusively. 

Accumulations of snow and ice are mostly associated with winter in the Northern Hemisphere, due to the large land masses there. In the Southern Hemisphere, the more maritime climate and the relative lack of land south of 40°S makes the winters milder; thus, snow and ice are less common in inhabited regions of the Southern Hemisphere. In this region, snow occurs every year in elevated regions such as the Andes, the Great Dividing Range in Australia, and the mountains of New Zealand, and also occurs in the southerly region of South America. Snow occurs year-round in Antarctica.