However, those in the north were not to expect any relief from the cold. Although sunlight falling on Earth was slightly more intense on Thursday than in July, winter is scheduled to continue unabated. During northern winter the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun.
Days are short and that makes it cold.
The fact that we're a little closer to the Sun in January doesn't make much difference. In the Southern Hemisphere, seasons are opposite from those in the north. Now, as the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, the South Pole is tilted toward it. As it is the middle of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, northerners are facing the throes of winter. Thursday morning at perihelion both hemispheres were 147.5 million km from the Sun.