When you start hearing the holiday carols, smell the hot cocoa and feel the chill in the air, see the trees shedding leaves like never before that’s when you know the winter has come… some people tend to enjoy it by being on roads, playing with the snow, some prefer to travel while some just relax at home near the fireplace with the steaming cup of their favourite coffee. Though the air is chilly, this season happens to be the favourite season of almost everyone.Though we experience winter every year we are unaware of many amazing facts this season has.

Earth is closest to the Sun during Winter season.

Hard to believe right? So in January, when winter generally starts in Northern Hemisphere, the earth reaches to point closest to the Sun in its orbit. And the overall drop in the temperature has actually nothing to do with the distance of the earth from the Sun.

Japan has the most snowiest city in the world

Again a bit difficult to believe right? But Aomori city in Japan receives more snowfall compared to any other city in the world. There are about 312 inches or about 26 feet of average snowfall.

The winter of 1963

The coldest winter recorded till today is of 1963, where the temperature consistently reached down below - 20 °C with blizzards, Snowdrift and even the sea was frozen around the coastal area. There were snowdrifts up to 6 meters deep and the snow continued to fall until 3-4 months in the UK.

Best survivors - Reindeers

The region above Arctic Circle remains dark for several weeks of the year during winter. The reindeers in the area have adapted themselves magically to survive this darkness. They can change the colour from Gold to Blue of a small area tissue behind the retina called as tapetum lucidum over summer to winter. So they detect the ultraviolet rays in dark and can make their way out.

All about Snowflakes

The average snowflake fall about 3mph. Its size always depends on how many ice crystals connect together. Average snowflake is made up of around 200 ice crystals. According to the Guinness World Records, on January 28, 1887, a snowflake 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick fell in Fort Keogh, Montana, making it the largest snowflake ever observed.
There is a type of snow called as watermelon snow. Because of certain type algae which grow on it had reddish colour; hence the name. It is generally found in the Canadian Rockies. About 12 centimeter of snow has only 1 centimeter of water in it.

Monarch - Amazing creatures

Millions of monarch butterflies fly to Mexico for the winter. They are the only insect that migrates to a warmer climate that is 2,500 miles away each year. Additionally, they like to hibernate in the same trees every year

Winter in movies

Winter is a major character in several movies, including The Thing (1982,2011), Whiteout (2009), The Day after Tomorrow (2004), The Colony (2013), Alive (1993), Wind Chill(2007), Frozen (2010, 2013), and The Grey (2011).
The Disney movie Frozen (2013) is the highest-grossing animated musical film of all time and the 9th highest-grossing film of all time with a worldwide box office gross of $1.097 billion. The Lion In Winter (1968) is the only film with winter in its title to win an Oscar. Summer has two Oscars, spring one, autumn none.