Winter officially began Monday, but when you think about it, that's ridiculous.For most of the Northern Hemisphere the coldest quarter of the year runs fromthe first week of December to the first week of March, so really winter isalready well underway. Case in point is the mammoth snowstorm that just hit theeastern part of the country. Simply, that was a classic winter storm thathappened during the coldest part of the year.
The so-called official start of winter is based on the Earth's movement aroundthe sun and has nothing to do with temperature normals. That's where thecontroversy arises. All the winter solstice is is the exact moment in time thatthe sun is directly overhead on the Tropic of Capricorn.
Story By AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet.
