The snowiest place on Earth - Five fun facts of the winter season (2024)

Just because Christmas Day came and went in a flash of festive lights and seasonal cheer, it doesn't mean winter is over. Here are some interesting winter facts which you might enjoy now you have some time to relax.

During our Winter season, the Earth is closest to the Sun. On January 3rd, the Earth will reach it’s perihelion, when it will be 3.1 million miles closer to the Sun than in July, when we are a lot further away.

The coldest temperature in the UK measured in Winter is -27.2C. This chilly temperature has also actually occurred three times. Twice in the village of Braemar in 1895 and 1982 and once in Altnaharra in 1995. Both of these places are in the Scottish Highlands.

The snowiest city on Earth is probably not where you think it is. It’s actually in Aomori City in Japan. Here they received around 26 feet of snow every year!

It also snows where you would least expect it to. From the Sahara to Hawaii, snow has been recorded to fall. Even in the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth, almost 80 cm of snow fell in 2011 due to a rare cold front extending from Antarctica.

When it snows, it can often look like a lot. However, every 12 cm of snow only equates to around 100 mm of water. This is because snow is mostly air. If you are looking to build a snowman though, physics has proven that wet snow is best as it helps the snow stick together better.