The farmer pointed to a patch of ice still clinging to a north-facing rock. “Winter in the United States,” he said, “is a visitor who arrives early in Minnesota, late in Florida, and never really leaves the Alaskan tundra. It’s December 21st for the astronomers, December 1st for the climatologists, and October for the ski resorts. But for most folks? Winter is when you first see your breath in the morning.”
Driving west in January, Mira climbed into the Sierra Nevada. A park ranger, Kai, handed her a snow gauge. “Winter in the high country doesn’t end until the snowpack peaks in April. But it starts when the first pass closes—sometimes October. Ask the skiers: winter is when the powder falls, not when the calendar says.” when is winter in united states