What is the first day of winter 2022

The day in our calendar that marks the first day of winter usually refers to the astronomical seasons which are a result of the Earth's axis and orbit around the Sun.

Astronomical winter

This year, astronomical winter begins on 21 December 2021 and ends on 20 March 2022.

For upcoming years, the dates for astronomical winter will be:

The astronomical calendar determines the seasons due to the 23.5 degrees of tilt of the Earth's rotational axis in relation to its orbit around the Sun. Both Equinoxes and Solstices are related to the Earth's orbit around the Sun. However, the dates of the Equinox and Solstice aren't fixed due to the Earth's elliptical orbit of the Sun.

Meteorological winter

However, at the Met Office, we often use a meteorological definition of the seasons. By the meteorological calendar, the first day of winter is always 1 December; ending on 28 (or 29 during a Leap Year) February.

Meteorological seasons consist of splitting the seasons into four periods made up of three months each. These seasons are split to coincide with our Gregorian calendar, making it easier for meteorological observing and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics.

The seasons are defined as spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), autumn (September, October, November) and winter (December, January, February).

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is in December; south of the equator, it is in June. Find out exactly when the winter season starts.

In the temperate and polar zones, winter is the cold season.

©iStockphoto.com/standret

According to the astronomical definition, winter begins with the winter solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, it's the December solstice; south of the equator, it is the solstice in June.

What is a solstice?

Solstices and equinoxes in your city

Alternative Winter Start Dates

Meteorologists use a different method of defining the first day of winter. And, in some countries, the beginning of the seasons is determined by average temperatures rather than fixed dates or astronomical events.

Meteorological and other seasons definitions

Days Get Longer During Winter

Astronomical winter begins at the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year. This means days get longer during winter—very slowly at first, but at ever-larger daily intervals as the March equinox approaches, heralding the start of spring.

Locations closer to the poles experience larger differences in day length throughout the year, so winter days are shorter there. In Toronto, the shortest day is just under 8 hours and 56 minutes long; in Miami, roughly 2000 kilometers or 1200 miles farther south, it lasts about 10 hours and 32 minutes.

Places within the polar circles experience polar night during all or part of the winter season when the Sun does not rise at all.

Earliest sunset is not on the shortest day

Earth's orientation at the December solstice

© timeanddate.com

Longer Days, but Falling Temperatures

Although daylight hours increase during the winter months, temperatures continue to fall in most regions. This is because it takes time for Earth to warm up, an effect known as seasonal lag.

Winter Traditions and Folklore

The start of winter and the winter solstice are celebrated in cultures and religions around the world with various traditions, holidays, and festivals.

Winter festivals: Christmas, Juul, and Saturnalia

Winter Months

In the Northern Hemisphere, astronomical and meteorological winter runs from December to March. South of the equator, it starts in June and ends in September. Read more about the history and meaning of the winter months:

Northern winter months

December | January | February | March

Southern winter months

June | July | August | September

How Long Is Winter?

The Earth does not move at a constant speed in its elliptical orbit, so the seasons are not of equal length. On average, winter lasts for 89.0 days in the Northern Hemisphere and 93.6 days in the Southern Hemisphere.

Average season lengths:

Topics: Astronomy, Seasons, December, June, Sun, Solstice

In this file photo, a group of kids from Wisconsin play in the snow. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

When is The First Day of Winter 2024
Winter solstice 2024 in Northern Hemisphere will be at 4:19 AM on Saturday, December 21, 2024.
Winter 2024 in Northern Hemisphere will begin on Saturday, December 21, 2024 and ends on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

When is The First Day of Winter 2025
Winter solstice 2025 in Northern Hemisphere will be at 10:02 AM on Sunday, December 21, 2025.
Winter 2025 in Northern Hemisphere will begin on Sunday, December 21, 2025 and ends on Friday, March 20, 2026.

What is The First Day of Winter (Winter Solstice)

The winter solstice marks the official beginning of astronomical winter (as opposed to meteorological winter, which starts about three weeks prior to the solstice). The winter solstice occurs once a year in each hemisphere: once in the Northern Hemisphere (in December) and once in the Southern Hemisphere (in June).

It marks the start of each hemisphere’s winter season. When one hemisphere is experiencing their winter solstice, the other is simultaneously experiencing their summer solstice!

When is The First Day of Winter 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Image Credit: Getty Images

This is all thanks to Earth’s tilted axis, which makes it so that one half of Earth is pointed away from the Sun and the other half is pointed towards it at the time of the solstice.

We often think of the winter solstice as an event that spans an entire calendar day, but the solstice actually lasts only a moment. Specifically, it’s the exact moment when a hemisphere is tilted as far away from the Sun as it can be. This is shown in the diagram below.

The winter solstice holds significance across a variety of cultures, as it signals the changing of the seasons. Some ancient peoples even marked the solstice using huge stone structures, like Newgrange in Ireland. In some cultures, the solstice traditionally marked the midway point of the season rather than the start of it, which explains why holidays such as Midsummer Day are celebrated around the first day of summer.

almanac.com