Why is winter in the u.s when the Earth is closest to the sun?

Question

Why is winter in the u.s when the Earth is closest to the sun?

Answer 1

Winter in each hemisphere is determined by the number of hours of daylight at the poles, because of the title of earths axis. So while we are one million miles closer to the sun during winter, the North Pole receives no sunlight during the height of winter which provides a source of very cold air for this hemisphere, even though we are closer to the sun.

Answer 2

the slightly elliptical orbit does put earth closer to the sun in the winter.

however, the tilt -- how high the sun gets in the sky, and how long the day is, has a much stronger effect.

here, a winter day may only be 9 hours long, and a summer day can be 15 hours.

worse, in the summer, the sun is almost straight up, 70-80 degrees up.

in the winter, sometimes it doesn't get even 45 degrees up from the horizon.

you just don't get as much light, for as long a time.

Answer 3

although the earth is close to the sun all together in winter, it also is in summer.

however, the northern hemisphere is tilted AWAY from the sun in winter, and toward the sun in summer, due to the earths natural tilt.