December 1st marks the beginning of winter according to climatologists and meteorologists. It was originally done by whole months because it was easier to do the statistical calculations by hand if entire months were used rather than the changing dates of the astronomical seasons, but it turns out that climatological seasons match better with the actual swing of temperatures across the country in most locations. This year, the beginning of climatological winter corresponded with a large decrease in temperature, but that is not always the case. And in spite of the cold so far, our winter is expected to be warmer than normal overall due to the looming presence of a La Nina, which could be declared at any time, so we can look forward to warm periods as well as the cold we are experiencing now. If you use
