Days Until Seasons & Astronomy

How many days until
First Day of Winter?

Q: How many days until First Day of Winter?

Use the live countdown on this page to see exactly how many days until First Day of Winter on 21 December 2026.

Q: When is First Day of Winter in 2026?

First Day of Winter is on 21 December 2026, a Monday.

Q: How many weeks until First Day of Winter?

The live countdown on this page shows the exact weeks remaining to First Day of Winter.

Q: What day of the week is First Day of Winter?

First Day of Winter falls on a Monday in 2026.

First Day of Winter is on 21 December 2026 — a Monday

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Updating every second

248days remaining

35weeks approx.

8.2months approx.

Monday of the week

When does winter officially start in the UK?

There are two definitions of when winter starts in the UK. The meteorological definition, used by the Met Office, sets winter as 1 December to 28/29 February — the three coldest calendar months. The astronomical definition places the first day of winter at the winter solstice, around 21 December, when the Sun reaches its southernmost point and the Northern Hemisphere experiences its shortest day. Most people in everyday speech refer to December, January and February as "winter", aligning more closely with the meteorological definition, even though the astronomical solstice receives more media coverage.

Why is the first day of winter not the coldest day?

The winter solstice is the shortest day but not the coldest. This counterintuitive fact is explained by thermal lag — the oceans and land masses absorb and store heat from summer, releasing it slowly into autumn and early winter. By December, the Earth is still releasing stored summer warmth, which moderates temperatures. The coldest weather typically arrives in January and February, four to six weeks after the solstice, when stored heat has been depleted. This is why the phrase "the dead of winter" refers to January, not December.

Winter solstice traditions around the world

The winter solstice has been observed and celebrated by human cultures for at least 12,000 years. Stonehenge aligns precisely with the winter solstice sunset. The ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia — a week of feasting, gift-giving and social role reversals — occurred around the solstice and is widely considered an ancestor of modern Christmas traditions. In Japan, Tōji (winter solstice) is marked by bathing in yuzu-fruit water and eating kabocha pumpkin for good health. In Iran, Yalda Night (Shab-e Yalda) is one of the most celebrated occasions of the year, with families staying up until midnight eating pomegranates and watermelon and reading poetry.

How many hours of daylight on the first day of winter?

In London on the winter solstice, sunrise is around 8:03am and sunset around 3:53pm — giving approximately 7 hours 49 minutes of daylight, compared to about 16 hours 38 minutes on the summer solstice. Further north the difference is more extreme: in Edinburgh, the winter solstice brings only about 6 hours 58 minutes of daylight. In Lerwick, Shetland — the UK's northernmost inhabited island — the solstice day lasts barely 5 hours 49 minutes. After the solstice, days gradually lengthen again at a rate of approximately 2 minutes per day initially, accelerating through January and February.

About First Day of Winter

The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere falls on the winter solstice — the moment when the Sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky, directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn. This occurs annually around 21 December, though the exact date varies slightly from year to year. On the winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere experiences its shortest day and longest night of the year. After the solstice, the days begin to lengthen again as the Earth continues its orbit around the Sun.

The winter solstice has been observed and celebrated by human cultures for thousands of years, predating recorded history. Stonehenge in Wiltshire is aligned with the winter solstice sunset — the setting sun on the solstice aligns precisely with the heel stone and the central trilithon, suggesting the monument was built partly as a solar calendar. The ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia — a week-long festival of feasting, gift-giving and role reversals — around the winter solstice. Many scholars believe early Christmas celebrations absorbed elements of existing winter solstice traditions.

The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium — "sun stands still" — reflecting the apparent pause in the Sun's southward movement before it reverses direction. Ancient observers noticed that the Sun's position at sunrise and sunset appeared stationary for a few days around the solstice before clearly moving northward again. This astronomical phenomenon was interpreted in many cultures as the Sun being "reborn" — the beginning of a new solar cycle.

In meteorological terms, winter in the Northern Hemisphere runs from 1 December to 28/29 February — the coldest three months of the year. The distinction between astronomical and meteorological winter is significant: meteorological winter begins three weeks before the solstice because seasonal temperature lag means the coldest weather typically arrives in January and February, not at the solstice itself. The shortest day is not the coldest day — Earth's oceans and atmosphere retain summer heat for weeks after the solstice.

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