What do Las Vegas and Your Wintertime Yard have in Common?

I doubt your yard looks like this.

I doubt you have neon lights, slot machines, or Elvis impersonators performing in your yard. But it is true that what happens in your wintertime yard, stays in your yard.

What do I mean by that? Hang with me. When it precipitates, the water in your yard has three options:

1. Seep into the soil. The rate at which water perks into your soil depends on your soil type. Sandy soil drains better than red clay, and rad clay drain better than blue clay. 
2. Run off to another location. Lots with more slope will have less standing water due to run off. 
3. Evaporate. Evaporation is caused by heat and happens faster in direct sunlight. 

So, in the winter what happens in your yard stays in your yard - due to a lack of evaporation. Have you noticed that in the winter months, particularly in shady areas, your yard tends to be muddier and soggier. If you would like to get rid of this, your best bet may be an underground drainage system, such as a French drain.