Where Exactly Is Winter?

    “Where is winter?” Richard G. Hendrickson, the United States Cooperative weather observer in Bridgehampton, wondered in his monthly weather report for December. Last month was a mild one, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees or higher on 11 days and hitting 61 on the 11th. The low for the month was 20 degrees on Dec. 7.

    “I do not know how high or how long those mild winter temperatures can go, but I do know that so far it is a very poor winter to fill the ice house or go skating,” Mr. Hendrickson wrote.    There was rain on 15 days for a total of 4.17 inches, the heaviest — .68 inch — falling on Dec. 8. Winter’s northwest winds tend to blow 40 to 50 miles per hour on many days, and in the past there was often sleighing or skating by Christmas vacation. “Not this year,” Mr. Hendrickson said. For those who crave winter sports, “Will Mother Nature give us what is needed in January and February?”