How do you photograph darkness? A question Sarah Lee considers with her work as the nights draw in: ‘I’ve always been drawn to photographing the darkness as the winter months draw in after the clocks go back and we head towards the solstice. I wondered why that was given that the world itself seems so dark at the moment. I realised this year that it is not the darkness I’m photographing, but, rather, the light. Always the light.’

With the snow line edging higher, 186 French ski resorts have shut, while global heating threatens dozens more

When Céüze 2000 ski resort closed at the end of the season in 2018, the workers assumed they would be back the following winter. Maps of the pistes were left stacked beside a stapler; the staff rota pinned to the wall.

Six years on, a yellowing newspaper dated 8 March 2018 sits folded on its side, as if someone has just flicked through it during a quiet spell. A half-drunk bottle of water remains on the table.

Wintering Well boxes to counter effects of low light on mental health are ‘super popular’, says island librarian

“Boxes of light” are being used to help people who struggle with low winter mood while living in one of Scotland’s darkest communities as part of a wider research initiative to support the million-plus sufferers of seasonal affective disorder across Britain.

Residents of the Orkney Islands have been able to borrow a Wintering Well Box from their library since the clocks went back in October, with the kits already proving “super popular” according to Sue House, an assistant librarian at Orkney Library – the oldest public library in Scotland and coincidentally an online sensation, thanks to its goofy social media presence.

Temperatures plunge below -50C in the Yukon, while swaths of US experience springlike weather

Northern Canada has been gripped by an intense and prolonged cold spell, with temperatures hovering between -20C and -40C for weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, its coldest December temperature since 1975.

Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured 16 consecutive nights below -40C, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C on Monday. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights when temperatures dropped below -30C.

River Dart, Devon: It probably came here for the shoals of grey mullet, but just for a second, it’s more interested in me and my paddleboard

There’s a lull between the storms, and for the first time in days it’s calm enough to take out my stand-up paddleboard. It’s 7.30am, and on this sheltered tidal creek on the River Dart, the water is barely moving: a gentle pulse in the scum line along the beach is the last gasp of the tide’s energy.

When I join the main course of the Dart, the water state changes. Here the river is thick with leaves and smashed twigs, and it’s moving with purpose. A day’s worth of Dartmoor rain is flowing downstream, encouraged by the tide, which has just begun to ebb. I shorten my stroke, working hard to maintain momentum. My aim is to paddle a couple more masochistic kilometres upriver, then turn and enjoy an effortless glide downstream.

The temptation is to sit at home and hibernate, but beating the winter blues can be done. Here’s how to embrace the coldest and arguably most beautiful season

Stephanie Fitzgerald, a chartered clinical psychologist, used to dread winter. Like many, she coped by keeping busy at work and hibernating at home, waiting for the cold, dark days to be over. But this approach wasn’t making her happy. So she sought out the science that would help her embrace the winter months, rather than try to escape them. In her resulting book, The Gifts of Winter, she writes: “I fell deeply in love with winter … It is a captivating and truly gorgeous season.”

How did she change her mindset – and can the 42% of us who say summer is our favourite season learn to love winter too?

As the days grow shorter and darkness descends, tropical varieties can struggle. But there’s a clever fix that nature can’t provide

The problem
In the dark days of winter, the whole house is darker, days are shorter, skies are greyer and our tropical houseplants receive far less light than they would in their natural habitat. Leaves fade and growth slows as plants struggle to photosynthesise.

The hack
Grow lights offer a clever fix, topping up what nature can’t provide. But with prices ranging from £15 to £100, are they really worth it?

From layers for your head to padded boots made in Yorkshire, our expert on keeping warm shares his hard-won expertise, learned from spending hours in the cold

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As someone who works in frontline security, standing outside bars, shops and night spots for up to 12 hours at a time – occasionally watching clubbers turn blue while waiting for a cab – I am well versed in the need to dress weather appropriately. With temperatures hitting freezing across the UK this week, here are my tips, tricks and product recommendations to keep the frostbite at bay.

It’s all about the base

Researchers tracking large cohorts are discovering the effects of sleep, light and therapy on people impacted by winter’s arrival

For some, the darkening days of autumn bring more than the annual ritual of reviving woolly jumpers and turning on the central heating. As the evenings close in and the mornings grow murky, energy ebbs and a heavy sadness settles in.

Although seasonal affective disorder (Sad) was only formally recognised by psychiatrists in the 1980s, the link between the seasons, mood and vitality has long been observed.