Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in some parts of
the northern
and southern hemisphere, this season is characterized by falling snow
and freezing cold temperatures, usually exacerbated by strong winds.
The season which usually lasts about three months is caused by the
winter-stricken area being farthest away from the sun in the earth’s
orbit around it.
Most schools take breaks during this period, whilst business in offices
slows and schedules are rearranged according to the whims of the
season.
Around this time, the days are short and nights longer, this
usually reverse slowly as the season progresses. The sun comes out
very late on winter mornings and when it does is not hot.
People rarely come outdoors until daylight; most sit indoors by the
fireside in the mornings and evenings. Everyone sees the essence of
the weather report during winter,
this service assumes added
importance as the information they present can be the difference
between having proper protective clothing and freezing to death,
knowing if the roads would be navigate-able tomorrow morning, or if
the night’s blizzard has called off engagements on their behalf.
Most people wake up to shovel snow out of their paths on winter
mornings. On some particularly severe occasions, snow and strong
winds has blocked roads and grounded flights,
even frozen rivers for
days, week and months.
People clothe themselves in thick apparels during winter to ward off
the cold and keep their bodies warm, over the year’s winter clothing
has evolved, today styles and designs are incorporated into them, far
from the tattered animal skin that early man in these areas used to
protect himself from the same grim weather.
In winter affected areas of the world, several outdoor and
sporting
activities have been designed to take advantage of the weather and
give the people a chance to exercise and bring themselves some joy.
These activities, taken as tradition and practiced at every winter (some
depending on the ice level) includes; curling, ice skating, ice racing, ice
sculpture, ice hockey, ice fishing, ice climbing, ice boating and more.
Plants and animal life respond to winter in varying ways. Some
animals such as birds migrate when the winter season is approaching
and only return during the summer, this
is to ensure food supply as
most of their food sources freeze in the winter.
Others go into hibernation, a state resembling sleep where the animal
remains inactive, usually housed in a shell, remaining so until summer
arrives. Some animals profusely gather and store food, in preparation
for winter months when the sources are dead
and gathering
impossible. In response to the weather most animals have also
adapted themselves, by developing thick furs that keep them warm
during this season, others such as the snowshoe hare changes colour
to white and becomes indistinguishable from the snow as a survival
tactic.
Whilst some plants completely die off in winter, others actually need
the season to complete their life cycle. Some plants
buried in snow are
as a result insulated by it and survive the weather, some trees lose all
their leaves during this season, but their roots are active, protected by
the thick layers of snow that covers the earth surface.
Winter is also a time of fruits, many fruits such as guava and oranges
as well as many vegetables become available during winter. Often
times
people complain of winter, cursing the cold and praying for the