I’d expect the shortest day of the year to also be the coldest, with the coldest season of the year spreading out equally on both sides of it.
I’d expect the shortest day of the year to also be the coldest, with the coldest season of the year spreading out equally on both sides of it.
I always thought it was because in mid northern hemisphere latitudes where most people live, the coldest day of the year (i.e. “the middle of winter”) tends to be in early February, not the winter solstice.