40 Winter Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Which months make up meteorological winter in the United Kingdom?

2. At middle northern latitudes, does the earliest sunset usually occur before, on, or after the December solstice?

3. Why does the coldest part of winter often arrive after the shortest day?

4. Which event ends astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere?

5. The Latin roots of “solstice” describe the Sun doing what?

6. Does the December solstice happen at one shared instant worldwide or at each place’s local noon?

7. What are the large, often cup-shaped crystals that can grow near the base of a cold snowpack called?

8. A windy ridge has grown an overhanging lip of snow. What is that feature called?

9. What pattern do “sun cups” make on a snow surface?

10. What do fields of snow formations called penitentes look like?

11. What shape gives a snow barchan its distinctive outline?

12. During sintering, what happens where neighboring snow grains touch?

13. A snow pillow estimates water stored in the snowpack by measuring what?

14. What repeated change produces the rounded grains of “corn snow”?

15. If a snowpack is described as isothermal, what is the same throughout its depth?

16. How can a warm snow drought happen even when winter precipitation is near normal?

17. What are the tiny crystals suspended in water at an early stage of sea-ice formation called?

18. Why is one early stage of sea ice called grease ice?

19. What is the typical shape of pancake ice?

20. What name is given to a thin, flexible sheet of newly formed sea ice that can bend with waves?

21. In the term “fast ice,” what does “fast” mean?

22. What is a persistent area of open water within an otherwise ice-covered sea called?

23. What builds pressure ridges in a winter sea-ice cover?

24. When growing sea ice rejects salt, what happens to the water just beneath it?

25. During a small mammal’s hibernation season, what can interrupt its deep torpor?

26. What do eastern chipmunks rely on in their burrows for winter meals?

27. What does “winter burn” in evergreen leaves often reflect?

28. What term describes a programmed pause in insect development that can help insects pass the winter?

29. What term is commonly used for winter dormancy in reptiles?

30. What is the cold exposure that enables flowering in certain plants called?

31. A dry metal railing sits in shade in 2°C air. Can wind chill alone lower it below 0°C?

32. Why can an exposed bridge deck ice over before a nearby road?

33. What grows in frost-susceptible soil and can lift a path during winter frost heave?

34. How can a whiteout hide the horizon even without heavy snow falling?

35. Who made the six sculptures that began Sapporo’s Snow Festival in 1950?

36. Which river supplies ice blocks for Harbin’s winter ice sculptures?

37. Which boat sport is a traditional feature of Québec’s Winter Carnival?

38. Which vegetable is traditionally eaten in Japan at the winter solstice?

39. What food is traditionally tossed in Japan’s Setsubun bean-throwing custom?

40. What soup is a traditional partner to sledding during Finland’s Laskiainen celebrations?