When is the first day of winter? Here's when to start bundling up this year.
Once we round the corner to November, fall festivities become a distant memory. Suddenly, our minds turn to fluffy winter snow, holiday decorations and end-of-year celebrations.
And it may get even more wintery – a recent study found abnormal heat in the Arctic caused by global warming is likely to bring more extreme winter weather to Canada, the northern U.S. and northern Eurasia.
As far as this season goes, federal forecasters are still waiting to see whether La Niña has formed. This natural climate pattern is marked by cooler-than-average seawater in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.
When does winter start?
In 2024, the first day of winter is Saturday, Dec. 21. This is when the winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year, occurs. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the solstice is at 4:21 a.m. EST in the Northern Hemisphere.
The winter solstice occurs when a hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun, giving us less daylight than any other day of the year. But that doesn’t mean it’ll be the coldest day of the year – that usually happens later in the winter, around January in some parts of the U.S., USA TODAY previously reported.
Meteorologists view winter as starting Dec. 1, which is the start of the coldest three months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
When does winter end?
Winter will end when the vernal equinox begins – in 2025, that’s Thursday, March 20.
When do the days start getting longer?
Are you already feeling the impact of daylight savings ending? We may get a coveted extra hour of sleep, but it also means less daylight.
But there's reason for optimism: the days start getting longer again after the winter solstice. Slowly but surely, from Dec. 22 until next summer, brighter days and more sun are on the horizon.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When does winter start? Your guide to the 2024 solstice.
