"WINTER DOES NOT END UNTIL EARLY APRIL"
... in what part of the planet, Siberia? I live in California. Winter weather used to typically start around mid-October in my neighborhood and cease around the end of February. I've never understood why the solstice is considered the start of winter anyways ... it's clearly the MIDDLE of winter. Based on evidence and direct observation, In the temperate zones every solstice and equinox are obviously the mid-points of the applicable seasons, not the start of the seasons.