Editing Winter (section)

==Cause==
{{See also|Effect of Sun angle on climate}}
The tilt of the Earth's axis relative to its orbital plane plays a large role in the formation of weather. The Earth is tilted at an angle of 23.44° to the plane of its orbit, causing different latitudes to directly face the Sun as the Earth moves through its orbit. This variation brings about seasons. When it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere faces the Sun more directly and thus experiences warmer temperatures than the Northern Hemisphere. Conversely, winter in the Southern Hemisphere occurs when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the Sun. From the perspective of an observer on the Earth, the winter Sun has a lower maximum altitude in the sky than the summer Sun.

During winter in either hemisphere, the lower altitude of the Sun causes the sunlight to hit the Earth at an oblique angle. Thus a lower amount of [[solar radiation]] strikes the Earth per unit of surface area. Furthermore, the light must travel a longer distance through the atmosphere, allowing the atmosphere to dissipate more heat. Compared with these effects, the effect of the changes in the distance of the Earth from the Sun (due to the Earth's elliptical orbit) is negligible.

The manifestation of the meteorological winter (freezing temperatures) in the northerly snow-prone latitudes is highly variable, depending on elevation, position versus marine winds, and the amount of precipitation. For instance, within [[Canada]] (a country of cold winters), [[Winnipeg]], on the [[Great Plains]] (a long way from the ocean), has a January high of {{convert|-11.3|C|F}} and a low of {{convert|-21.4|C|F}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=3698&lang=e&amp;StationName=Winnipeg&amp;SearchType=Contains&amp;stnNameSubmit=go&dCode=1&dispBack=1|title=Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data for Winnipeg|publisher=Environment Canada|access-date=8 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905075212/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=3698&lang=e&StationName=Winnipeg&SearchType=Contains&stnNameSubmit=go&dCode=1&dispBack=1|archive-date=5 September 2016|df=dmy-all|date=2013-09-25}}</ref> 

In comparison, [[Vancouver]], on the west coast (with a marine influence from moderating Pacific winds), has a January low of {{convert|1.4|C|F}}, with days well above freezing, at {{convert|6.9|C|F}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=889&lang=e&StationName=Vancouver&SearchType=Contains&stnNameSubmit=go&dCode=1|title=Canadian climate normals 1981–2010 Station Data for Vancouver|publisher=Environment Canada|access-date=8 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518084829/http://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?stnID=889&lang=e&StationName=Vancouver&SearchType=Contains&stnNameSubmit=go&dCode=1|archive-date=18 May 2015|df=dmy-all|date=2013-09-25}}</ref> Both places are at 49°N latitude and in the same western half of the continent. A similar but less extreme effect is found in Europe: despite their northerly latitude, the British Isles have no non-mountain weather stations with a below-freezing mean January temperature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate|title=UK climate – Station Map|publisher=Met Office|access-date=8 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905072823/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/|archive-date=5 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>