Solstice, Shmolstice – Why The Coldest Days Are Still To Come | Inside Science

http://www.insidescience.org/content/solstice-shmolstice-%E2%80%93-why-coldest-days-are-still-come/2436

Why is the winter’s coldest day usually more than a month away?

Residents of the Northern Hemisphere, don’t worry about the winter solstice – it’s not the middle of winter, and in some places, it’s not even the start of wintry weather.

So why exactly is the shortest day of the year so distant from the coldest temperatures? It’s usually another month before the bone-aching freezes of winter hit their worst.