43 winter trivia questions

Winter questions for a class or a snow-day quiz: the solstice, snowflakes, blizzards, the Winter Olympics and the animals that wait out the cold. Each answer links to its source. Play them on the screen, or print a player sheet and the answer key.

43 questions · Winter trivia questions · answers included

Updated 26 Oct 2026

Questions 1–20

1
What is another name for the winter solstice, the day with the least daylight?

easy

Answer
The shortest day, or the longest night.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice?oldid=1381307525
2
In the Northern Hemisphere, on which dates does the winter solstice fall?

medium

Answer
December 21 or 22.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice?oldid=1381307525
3
When is the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere?

medium

Answer
June 20 or 21.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice?oldid=1381307525
4
In one way of counting the seasons, winter begins at the solstice. At which event does it end?

medium

Answer
The March equinox.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter?oldid=1358291387
5
In the Northern Hemisphere, in which months are winter's coldest average temperatures usually felt?

medium

Answer
January or February, well after the solstice.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter?oldid=1358291387
6
How many arms grow out from the corners of a typical snowflake's hexagon?

easy

Answer
Six, one from each corner.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake?oldid=1372222901
7
Very occasionally, how many branches can a snowflake have?

hard

Answer
Twelve, still in a six-fold pattern.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake?oldid=1372222901
8
What share of snowflakes have the perfect six-sided shape?

hard

Answer
Less than 0.1%, so a perfect one is rare.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake?oldid=1372222901
9
About how many water molecules make up a typical snowflake?

hard

Answer
10 quintillion, which is why no two are likely to be alike.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake?oldid=1372222901
10
Who began photographing thousands of snowflakes through a microscope in 1885?

medium

Answer
Wilson Alwyn Bentley.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake?oldid=1372222901
11
How many pictures of snow crystals did Wilson Bentley take?

hard

Answer
More than 5,000.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Bentley?oldid=1381477645
12
Ice is clear, so why does snow look white?

medium

Answer
Scattering of light, by the crystals' facets and hollows.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow?oldid=1372800586
13
In the United States, what tells a blizzard apart from an ordinary snowstorm?

medium

Answer
The strength of the wind, not the amount of snow.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard?oldid=1380859322
14
How strong must the wind be for a US snowstorm to count as a blizzard?

hard

Answer
35 mph, or 56 km/h, with blowing snow.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard?oldid=1380859322
15
For how long must blizzard conditions usually last?

hard

Answer
Three hours or more.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blizzard?oldid=1380859322
16
What are the feathery frost patterns on a cold window also called?

medium

Answer
Fern frost, or ice flowers.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost?oldid=1372151439
17
How does an icicle form?

easy

Answer
Water falling from an object freezes, one drip at a time.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icicle?oldid=1374357226
18
What does wind chill describe?

easy

Answer
The sensation of cold, made by the wind on bare skin.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_chill?oldid=1363626114
19
Why does snow make a warm building material for an igloo?

medium

Answer
Air pockets, trapped in the snow, make it an insulator.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igloo?oldid=1374590562
20
In the Inuit languages, what can the word iglu mean?

hard

Answer
A house or home, built of any material.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igloo?oldid=1374590562

Questions 21–40

21
Who took the earliest known photograph of a snowman, around 1853?

hard

Answer
Mary Dillwyn, a Welsh photographer.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowman?oldid=1377665429
22
In which US town was the record giant snowwoman built in 2008?

hard

Answer
Bethel, Maine.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowman?oldid=1377665429
23
Where were the first Winter Olympic Games held, in 1924?

medium

Answer
Chamonix, France.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games?oldid=1376929654
24
In which two wartime years were no Winter Olympics held?

medium

Answer
1940 and 1944, during World War II.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games?oldid=1376929654
25
How many times has the United States hosted the Winter Olympics?

medium

Answer
Four, in 1932, 1960, 1980 and 2002.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games?oldid=1376929654
26
At which Winter Games did the Olympic flame tradition begin?

hard

Answer
Oslo, in 1952.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Olympic_Games?oldid=1376929654
27
In curling, what is the circular target on the ice called?

medium

Answer
The house, scored by the stones closest to its center.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling?oldid=1380109614
28
Why do curlers sweep the ice in front of a sliding stone?

medium

Answer
Sweeping reduces friction, so the stone travels farther and straighter.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling?oldid=1380109614
29
From which Scottish island does the granite for curling stones come?

hard

Answer
Ailsa Craig, in the Firth of Clyde.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling?oldid=1380109614
30
What year is carved on the old curling stone found in a drained pond at Dunblane, Scotland?

hard

Answer
1511, with another stone dated 1551.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling?oldid=1380109614
31
What is the lowest temperature ever reliably measured on Earth?

medium

Answer
−89.2 °C, or −128.6 °F, at Vostok Station in Antarctica.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_Station?oldid=1374384724
32
In which month of 1983 was that record cold measured at Vostok?

hard

Answer
July, in the Antarctic winter.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_Station?oldid=1374384724
33
Which village in Siberia is the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth?

medium

Answer
Oymyakon, in Russia's Sakha Republic.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oymyakon?oldid=1381295012
34
By how much does a bear's body temperature fall during its winter sleep?

hard

Answer
3 to 5 °C, far less than in most hibernators.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibernation?oldid=1373463223
35
Apart from saving energy, why do female black bears hibernate?

medium

Answer
To give birth to their offspring.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibernation?oldid=1373463223
36
How low can a hibernating Arctic ground squirrel's body temperature fall?

hard

Answer
−2.9 °C, below freezing.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibernation?oldid=1373463223
37
Which primate hibernates in tree holes for seven months of the year?

hard

Answer
The fat-tailed dwarf lemur, of Madagascar.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibernation?oldid=1373463223
38
What color does the coat of most Arctic foxes turn in winter?

easy

Answer
White.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_fox?oldid=1380848379
39
Why is the snowshoe hare called a snowshoe hare?

easy

Answer
Large hind feet, which keep it from sinking into soft snow.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshoe_hare?oldid=1379114034
40
Which other name for the snowshoe hare refers to its change of coat?

hard

Answer
The varying hare, for its white winter coat.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowshoe_hare?oldid=1379114034

Questions 41–43

41
Which is the only penguin that breeds during the Antarctic winter?

easy

Answer
The emperor penguin, which treks inland to breed.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_penguin?oldid=1377089235
42
Where does a male emperor penguin keep the egg warm through the winter?

medium

Answer
On the tops of his feet, under loose skin and feathers.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_penguin?oldid=1377089235
43
By the time the egg hatches, for about how long has the male emperor penguin gone without food?

hard

Answer
Around 120 days, about four months.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_penguin?oldid=1377089235

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