Winter – one of the four seasons in nature, in the temperate climate zone. It is characterized by the lowest air temperatures on a yearly scale, moderate amounts of precipitation, usually solidified (frozen) form of precipitation and atmospheric sediment, and most of the plant and animal world undergoes a dormant period.
Astronomical winter begins at the time of the winter solstice and lasts until the spring equinox, which roughly means the period between December 22 and March 21 in the northern hemisphere. During astronomical winter, the daytime is shorter than the nighttime, but with each successive day the day length increases and the night length decreases. Climatic winter is considered to be the period of the year in which the average daily air temperature drops below 0 °C.
