Winter Facts: Fascinating Knowledge About The Cold Season For Kids

Do you know that every year more than a septillion snowflakes fall from the sky?

So we all know what the winter season is like. The season is related to the snow falling from the sky, Santa’s sleigh with Rudolph the reindeer, and kids making a snowman in the backyard comes to mind.

We have the major holiday season in the northern hemisphere which is full of warmth even though the weather outside is cold. January and February are the months that recorded the lowest temperatures in this region.

Imagine this. It’s a cold snowy winter morning and you're snuggling in bed in your favorite warm blanket and peeking at the snow falling from the sky.

It’s freezing cold outside and you don’t want to get out of bed. You keep looking at the weather and start thinking 'how does the world become hot and cold at different times of the year?'

So here are some interesting facts about cold that will blow your mind. After having fun with facts about ice and the coldest weather ever, do check our other articles on where do flies go in the winter and why do we have seasons.

What is the winter season?

Winter is the season when the temperature is at its lowest for the year. Winter usually comes in between autumn and spring and its name comes from an old German word that means 'time of water'.

It is considered to be the winter season during the months of December through March in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter falls between the months of June through September in Southern Hemisphere.

It is the season of holidays where schools close and children are seen playing around in the snow. Skiing on snowy mountains and snowboarding are also activities that come to mind.

The winter holidays are always enjoyed with family around a warm fire and festivities.

Not all regions of the world experience snow, but there is a palpable drop in the temperature, and the weather could be balmy and chilly in coastal regions especially. The interiors may experience a greater temperature drop and some rain during the night as compared to the day.

Snow can be found on mountains, and as we travel towards temperate zones. We can say that when it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.

The plants that grow and flourish during spring dry up and shrivel during autumn and become completely devoid of leaves during winter. The dropping temperature causes the atmosphere to cool down and that causes the clouds, which are made of water vapor, to get heavy and form snow crystals. These fall on the ground as snow.

Did you know that the biggest snowflake ever recorded was on 28th January, 1887 when in Montana, a snowflake measuring eight inch (20 cm) thick and 15 in (38.1 cm) wide as per the Guinness Book of World Records?

Interesting Facts About Winter

Winter isn’t really cold weather without snow and snowflakes. A Snowflake can come in many shapes and sizes. The largest snowflake ever recorded was 15 in (38 cm) wide! It was found in a place called Fort Keogh, Montana in January, 1887.

Winter is the season of cold weather, laziness, and rest. Animals seem to think so too.

Many animals go into a sleep-like state called hibernation. Hibernating animals feed heavily during the months leading to winter and then hibernate throughout the winter months with the fat from all the food keeping them warm and healthy while taking away the need to forage for food.

As humans, we too feel lethargic and need to stay warm under our blankets during winter. Also, we are more hungry and crave rich and warm food to battle the cold.

As the Earth rotates on a diagonal axis the poles of the Earth sometimes have winter for as long as six months at a time because it isn’t facing the Sun for that long.

The coldest temperature that has been recorded is -128.6°F (-89.2°C) at Vostok Station in Antarctica.

Migratory birds fly very long distances in winter to reach places where the temperature is higher and food is more abundant. They sometimes travel almost halfway across the world.

All snowflakes have exactly six sides even though the designs may vary.

The days during winter are shorter than the days during summer. This is because during summer the Earth’s axis is tilted such that the hemisphere you live in is facing towards the Sun and facing away from the Sun during winter.

Even though it looks like it, snow isn’t actually white. It is translucent and just reflects the light that falls on it. Things like pollution or some types can even give different colors to snow.

The months of December and January have festivals that are iconically related to winter such as Christmas and yet one half of the world celebrates it in summer.

When does winter occur?

As mentioned above winter occurs at different times of the year in the two hemispheres of the world. While winter is in the months of December to March in the Northern Hemisphere, it is between June and September in the Southern Hemisphere.

Even though these months are considered to be “Winter” the exact day that winter begins is actually a bit confusing. During the winter seasons, the earth is closest to the sun in the northern hemisphere but the axis is tilted away making the temperature drop.

The first day of the winter, 21st December is regarded as the winter solstice by most people. Astronomically, it is the day that the sun will be directly above the southernmost point of the Earth, but meteorologists consider December 1 as the day winter begins. Like winter solstice we have summer solstice too.

Why do we have a winter season?

The Winter season, and any other seasons for that matter, is just a period of time, usually, a few months where the weather changes. This change in weather is caused by the revolution of the Earth around the Sun.

Different seasons occur at different points in a single revolution of the Earth. Summer and spring are reported in the hemisphere which is tilted in the direction of the sun.

The months where the hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun are considered to be autumn and winter. As the Earth rotates on a diagonal axis the weather in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres are different because the two hemispheres face the Sun at different times of the year.

During Summer solstice the North Pole of Earth is closest to the Sun. Winter solstice is a day when the North Pole of Earth is farthest from the Sun.

The summer solstice on 21 June happens to be the longest day of the year. 21 December which is the winter solstice happens to be the shortest day of the year.

Fun Winter Facts For Kids

Some fun facts to observe during the winter, check how many you find to be true at your place.

During winter, the sun looks bigger.

The night is longer.

Thundersnow sounds like the rumble of thunder in midst of a snowstorm.

Fluffy snow has a lot of air and very little water.

The temperature drops faster than rises.

The earth approaches a particular point in its orbit when it is nearest to the sun, but the earth’s axis creates the weather and not the distance.

The United States uses more than 22 million tons of salts during each winter.

A city named Aomori in northern Japan receives the highest number of snowfalls in the world.

Cities around the world have to dump snow in the most creative ways like sometimes it is dumped in the ocean, some places use special and expensive snow melters and other ways.

Fresh snow is the best for building a snowman and is a favorite activity with the kids. Scientists say the perfect ratio of snow to water should be 5:1.

More Science-Related Winter Facts

Winter can be a season to enjoy and be careful, with piling snows and freezing temperature, here are some winter facts for you to think about.

Red squirrels make mushroom jerky by drying out mushrooms in a tree.

Those born during the winter season are less likely to have irritable temperaments.

Snow is not just white in color it can be orange, yellow purple or green depending upon the dust particle or algae being trapped inside it.

People have witnessed watermelon pink-colored snow too, which gives out a sweet smell. But a word of caution. Do not eat this pink-colored snow as the color is due to a type of algae that is mildly poisonous.

There are snow rollers that are self-forming snowballs as the wind pushes snow across the ground which gathers in a hollow cylinder.

Environmentalists believe salt can be bad for the environment, therefore some cities use beer waster, beet juice, or pickle brine on the slippery iced roads.

You can travel to Finland to check the Northern lights or auroras.

There is an International Hair Freezing competition held in Canada every February.

Stonehenge in England was built during prehistoric times to frame the sunset of the winter solstice.

Shovel racing was started in New Mexico by lift operators of a ski resort.

There are some flowering plants that bloom during winter amidst the snow.

There are five types of snow: dry snow, moist snow, wet snow, very wet snow, and slush or snow.

The tallest snowman stood at the record height of 122 ft. (37.18 m).

Winter makes you more hungry.

Early January and February record the coldest temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere.

What are five facts about the weather?

The weather is different in every place, we are all aware of this, here are some interesting facts about weather.

Sand storms can swallow entire cities.

In 1899, the Mississippi River froze for its entire length.

In 340 BC Aristotle described meteorology.

Some frogs are nosier just before the rain.

A blizzard makes snowflakes turn into pellets hitting your face.

Train tracks can bend during a heatwave.

The snowfall in Antarctica is so hard that you can't see your hand in front of your face.

Circus clouds are made with ice crystals.

What are three facts about snow?

We are all fascinated by snow and how pretty it can make winter look, here are some fantastic snow facts:

Snowflakes have six sides.

A blizzard is a bad snowstorm.

Snow falls at the speed of one to six feet (12-72 in) per second.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for winter facts then why not take a look at why do we have day and night, or why do we only see one side of the moon.