This effect is known as the precession of the equinox . The precession of the equinox has a cycle of approximately 23,000 years. During the 41,000 year cycle the tilt can deviate from approximately 22.5 to 24.5 degrees. At the present time, the tilt of the Earth's axis is 23.5 degrees. When the tilt is small there is less climatic variation between the summer and winter seasons in the middle and high latitudes.
Winters tend to be milder and summers cooler.
Warmer winters allow for more snow to fall in the high latitude regions. When the atmosphere is warmer it has a greater ability to hold water vapor and therefore more snow is produced at areas of frontal or orographic uplift . Cooler summers cause snow and ice to accumulate on the Earth's surface because less of this frozen water is melted. Thus, the net effect of a smaller tilt would be more extensive formation of glaciers in the polar latitudes. Periods of a larger tilt result in greater seasonal climatic variation in the middle and high latitudes.