The London Weather Station

Winter is the coldest of the four seasons, at least in the Northern Hemisphere (= the northern half of the earth).

Winter begins on the winter solstice, which is in the Northern Hemisphere usually aroun December 21 or December 22.

In Winter the sun is furthest away from the earth. In some parts of the world it gets very cold and lots of snow starts to fall.

Why does it snow in some parts of the world and not in others?

First of all it depends on how far north a country is. The further north a country is, the further it is away from the warmth of the sun. But it also depends on the fact if a country is close to the sea or not. Countries that are not close to the sea but rather more on a continant have "continental" weather. "Continental" simply means that the country is rather in the middle of a continent than on the edges. Countries that have lots of coasts, like the United Kingdom, often profit from warm water streams in the sea. For the United Kingdom it is the Gulf Stream that makes the climate rather warm. The Gulf Stream starts in the sea around Mexico where it is very warm, and it carries this warmth all the way up the United Kingdom! But it is not only the water but also the wind that makes some countries warmer than others that are as far north as they are.

Cold, but fun

In Winter you may have to wrap up in lots of jumpers, jackets, scarves and hats, but this is not so bad if there is really snow and ice. If there is, you can go skiing, ice-skating and sliding. Why not try to build a snow man? If the snow is not too dry (read more about dry snow), this is great fun. Don't forget to put a carrot nose in his face!
If you're going to ski, don't forget that the sun on the snow can be very strong because it reflects a lot on the white snow (read more about reflecting sun light). You should always wear good sun protection and sunglasses.

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