Meteorological Winter

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 marked the beginning of Meteorological Winter. Seems a little early huh? There's a diference between Meteorological Winter and Astronomical Winter (also known as the Winter Solstice).

Meteorological Winter is the time of year in which the Northern Hemisphere is the coldest. This period starts on December 1 and ends on February 28.

We are more familiar with Astronomical Winter or the Winter Solstice that begins on December 21-March 20. During this time is when the sun will be furthest away from the Earth.

Pretty inconcievable that Winter is here after experiencing such a mild November and a high of 55 degrees Tuesday at O'Hare. However, today, even though still above normal, we have cooled down falling 10 degrees from Tuesday (45 degrees was the high at O'Hare) with colder weather on the way. Below is a graphic of the 6-10 day temperatures from the Climate Prediction Center.