The Winter Solstice is a week away. It falls on December 21st this year. We are very much looking forward to it.
When I talk to other people (people in housing) or read about winter weather, I get told that the coldest winter weather occurs in the six to ten weeks following the winter solstice. But that does not really fit my experience.
Air temperatures can still be chilly, but as soon as days start growing longer (starting the day after the solstice), ground temperatures start going up. If you are camping or homeless and sleeping outside, ground temperature makes a big difference in your ability to stay warm enough to a) sleep soundly and b) not need to be seriously concerned about hypothermia.
Hypothermia is potentially deadly. Homeless people sometimes freeze to death.
During the day, I am typically either at the library, shopping, having lunch or walking around. In other words, I am indoors, walking or having a hot meal. Walking generates heat and eating a hot meal helps you stay warm.
But night time temps tend to be colder than daytime temps and your body temp drops when you sleep. The combination is potentially catastrophic in cold weather, and it is exacerbated by sleeping on cold ground.
So, to our minds, most of the worst weather is behind us and things should start to improve in eight days. Since this is a La Nina year, it has been a relatively mild, dry winter so far (at least, where we are).
The mild winter and upcoming solstice are helping to reduce my stress levels. To my mind, the season of cold, wet weather is practically over.