Happy magpie’s new nest is related to the Xiaohan solar term.

Weather changes

Small Cold is the 23rd solar term among the twenty-four solar terms, the fifth solar term in winter, the end of the Zi month and the beginning of the Chou month.

The weather characteristics of Xiaohan are: the weather is getting colder, but it is not yet very cold. During the Lesser Cold season, the sun's direct point is still in the southern hemisphere, and the heat in the northern hemisphere is still being lost. The heat absorbed during the day is still less than the heat released at night, so the temperature in the northern hemisphere continues to decrease.

According to China’s long-term meteorological records, the Minor Cold solar term is colder than the Major Cold solar term in the north; but for most areas in the south, the Major Cold solar term is colder than the Minor Cold solar term.

During the Xiaohan solar term, the East Asian Great Trough develops the most powerfully and stably, the Mongolian cold high pressure and the Aleutian low pressure also reach the strongest and most stable, and the scale of the westerly trough and ridge reaches the largest, combined with the strongest westerly intensity. The cold air cooling process is frequent during the Xiaohan solar term, but not many reach the cold wave standard.

In northern China, there is a saying that "the minor cold is better than the major cold, it is common and not uncommon." It means that the minor cold solar term is colder than the major cold solar term. This is not a strange thing. The Minor Cold usually occurs from February 9th to March 9th. It is the coldest period of the year in northern China. After the Minor Cold, the temperature of the Great Cold rises slightly.

The coldest day in southern China is on the 49th day. The 49th day is colder than the 39th day. The 49th day is in the Great Cold period, and the Great Cold in the south is colder than the Lesser Cold.

Folk proverb: "During the Minor Cold period, the temperature is 239, and the weather is so cold that the ground is so cold that I tremble." This illustrates the degree of coldness of the Minor Cold solar term. During the Minor Cold season, most parts of China have entered a period of severe cold. The soil is frozen, rivers are frozen, and the cold air from the north continues to move southward. The weather is cold, and people call it "nine cold days."

Although the south of China is not as cold and cold as the north, the temperature has also dropped significantly. The coldest periods in the south are the minor cold and major cold periods, as well as the period between rain and the hibernation. It is dry and cold during the minor cold, and wet and cold after rain.