The sed rate test measures the distance red blood cells fall in a test tube in one hour. The farther the red blood cells have descended, the greater the inflammatory response of your immune system.
A woman pulls up her hood as she exits a subway during a snowstorm in New York City, March 5, 2015. Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson. For all practical purposes, winter starts at around the moment your heating fails, forcing you to put on all your ugly Christmas sweaters at the same time. For others, itâs when you slip and fall down a dozen stairs into the subway.
The winter solstice is the year's shortest day, but the start of winter also launches the sun's steady climb toward the long, warm days of summer. This year, the northern winter solstice occurs on Wednesday, December 21, at 5:44 a.m. ET (10:44 UTC). It happens at the same moment no matter where you live, but because we've divided Earth into 24 times zones, people around the world will observe it at 24 different times of day.