When does winter really begin?

As the calendar turns to December, the season turns from autumn to winter, at least in the eyes of the weather community.

Unlike astronomical winter, which begins at the winter solstice (21 or 22 December), which many regard as the "real" changing of the season, meteorological winter begins almost three weeks earlier, on 1 December.

BBC Weather's Matt Taylor explains why the meteorological seasons follow a different pattern to their astronomical cousins.

Check out some of our Weather Watchers' winter photos here.