Learn Russian: В январе зима. - In January it is winter.

When you want to say "in" a certain month, you use the preposition в and change the month's ending to show time or location (this is called the Prepositional case). For январь, the soft sign (ь) at the end is replaced by -е.

Where are the words for "it is"?

You don't need them! Russian doesn't use dummy subjects like "it" to talk about seasons or weather. Also, Russian skips the verb "is" in the present tense. So, saying "In January winter" (В январе зима) is the normal way to express "In January it is winter."

Do I pause between в and январе when speaking?

No, you should pronounce them together as if they were a single word. The preposition в attaches itself directly to the front of the next word to keep the speech flowing smoothly.

Can I flip the word order and say Зима в январе?

Yes, you can. Russian word order is very flexible. В январе зима is like saying "As for January, it is winter," which is a natural way to state a fact about the month. Зима в январе is also correct but emphasizes the fact that this happens specifically in January.