Winter is obviously England’s coldest season, with the shortest days. Officially beginning on 21 December, winter ends on 20 March the next spring, if using the astronomical calendar, however the Met Office uses a meteorological version of seasons, so their winter always begins on 1 December and ends on the last day of February (splitting each season into 3 equal months to coincide with the Gregorian calendar).
Our winter weather is dependent on what’s happening near Iceland and the Azores (islands in the Atlantic Ocean owned by Portugal) as the increased pressure from westerly winds can bring us milder winter weather, but also more wind and rain.
winter days are colder & shorter
Winter days also mean darker nights, with our shortest day getting almost 9 hours less light than on 21 June (the summer solstice – or longest day of the year). Despite the earth being closer to the sun in winter. Temperatures can get pretty nippy in England during winter (especially in the east and north east – Newcastle for instance sits on the same latitude as Sweden). However we don’t tend to get temperatures anywhere near as cold as Scotland.
England’s winters are cold (but not that cold!)
Sometimes we do have freak cold weather – the winter of 1963 was the coldest since 1740 with even the sea freezing. But it never gets as cold as Siberia due to our warming gulf stream. In some places in northern Russia, people can’t wear spectacles as they would freeze on the face, and car engines have to be kept running continuously, or else they would also freeze.
In colder climates than ours, Scandinavian reindeer have adapted their retinas to see in the dark. Some humans living there also do this, but are prone to a condition when they start talking complete gibberish, due to lack of vitamin D. Sounds like some of our MPs!
which mammals hibernate in winter?
England has 3 mammals that hibernate: bats, dormice and hedgehogs. All of them bed down for winter, so never disturb them.
Nocturnal hedgehogs like log piles and leaf litter, so leave your garden a bit ‘messy’ for sleeping and hibernation spots (never knock down sheds/outbuildings until at least 8 weeks after birth to ensure hoglets have left – can be any time from summer to autumn).
what causes England’s frequent gale-force winds?
If you live in England, it’s likely that you’ve often had an umbrella blow down the street, or lost your hat in a gale-force wind! Not just for people walking on top of mountains, England is a very windy country (hence why we have so many wind turbines, which aren’t actually needed as much as you’d think – offshore farms are causing harm to wildlife and birds, more on that in other posts).
Kites can slice off birds’ wings in the sky, or tangle wings. You can buy biodegradable ones from cornstarch, but it’s best not to use them. If you do, don’t fly kites at dusk or dawn (when birds are most likely in flight).
Wind is basically caused by differences of atmospheric pressure (the rising and sinking of air). Low pressure is when rises, and high pressure is when it sinks. Wind can be good (a gentle sea breeze or a nice way to get your washing dry outside). But inland (away from cool dense air at sea, which gets little wind), we get a build-up of pressure which causes high winds. Our jet stream is a collection of strong wings a few miles above our planet, they blow from west to east.
Unsurprisingly, the windiest places in England are usually in mountainous areas (like Cumbria’s Lake District), with nearly all the other very windy areas in the UK being in the Scottish mountains. Of the top 10 windiest places in the UK, nearly all of them are in Scotland (including The Shetland Isles). Only 2 are in England – Sunderland and surprisingly, the Isle of Wight!
Another very windy place is the East of England, due to low pressure pockets coming in from the North Sea. If you think it’s cold in Cornwall or the Midlands, wait until you live through a winter in Northumberland or Norfolk!
Ever wondered where the windiest place on earth is? Despite us thinking it’s very quiet, the windiest place is actually Antarctica. Wind speeds here can be an average of 50mph, or even up to 150mph (that’s classed as a super-typhoon!)
I can’t change the direction of the wind. But I can adjust my sails, to always reach my destination. Jimmy Dean
Notice that the stiffest tree is cracked. While the bamboo or willow survives, by bending with the wind. Bruce Lee
Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I, but when the trees bow down their heads, the wind is passing by. Christina Rossetti
nature tales for winter nights
Nature Tales for Winter Nights is a treasure trove of stories from across the world, to bring wonder to every winter night. From childhood seasonal tales to stories of polar birds, immerse yourself in these rural, wild and urban tales, as the evenings draw in. From the late days of autumn (though the deepest cold winter) and towards the bright hope of spring, here is a collection of familiar names, and dazzling new discoveries.
- Join the naturalist Linnæus in Lapland
- Witness frost on the River Thames
- Learn about witch-hazel harvesting in Connecticut
- Experience an Alpine adventure
- Learn of courtship in the snow in Japan & ancient Rome
- Observe Beth Chatt’s garden
- Read lines from Anne Frank’s diary
- Listen to fireside stories from indigenous voices
Nancy Campbell is a poet and writer, whose fans include former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy. She has loved winter since she spent time as Artist in Resident at the most northern museum on earth at Upernavik (Greenland). She was appointed Canal Laureate by the Poetry Society, writing poems on London Docklands and the River Severn and received the Ness Award from the Royal Geographical Society.
The English winter – ending in July, to recommence in August. Lord Byron