Winter is one of the four seasons which is very distinct in the moderate zones of the earth, including Central Europe. It repeats itself annually. The northern part of the hemisphere starts with winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year.

Date wise this is the 21st or 22nd of December. On the southern hemisphere this coincides with the summer solstice; that is when the day is the longest day and the night the shortest night. That is where winter starts on June 21.

This is the day when the days start getting long again and the nights shorter. The winter ends with the beginning of spring on 21 March of the following year. Meteorologists count whole months. For meteorologists, winter starts on 1 December and comprises the months of December, January and February.

Due to the shortness of the days and insolation, it is colder in winter. Whether one has a real winter with ice and snow, however, depends on other factors, too. Agreement has not been reached as to whether the earth really is becoming warmer, as some scientists say, and whether it is disrupting the climate. According to the time when the study was performed it can also be proven that our current winters are still within the range of what is considered to be normal.

The weather during the winter does not always have to be grey and dark; winter can also include clear and cold sunny days. If the temperatures are around or slightly below freezing, snow can be expected instead of rain. It depends on several factors whether there will be a closed layer of snow. The snow limit drops a lot in the mountains and standing bodies of water can be expected to freeze if the temperature remains around freezing for any length of time. If the winter is a hundred year winter,
even larger bodies of flowing waters, such as big rivers like the Rhine or big lakes like Lake Constance can freeze at the surface.

Winter is not a very pleasant time for driving. Traffic congestions are par for the course, and they can be due to ice, snow or frost or even just because of obstacles to visibility when it snows a lot. The weather report is only an indication of what to expect, as dangerous spots also depend on the topography. It is just as important to adjust the equipment – including snow tires – as driving more carefully. The predictions supplied by the weather report should be taken note of.