How Many Days Until Winter 2026?
Winter 2026 is on .
Live countdown to Winter 2026
Winter Dates for the Next 5 Years
| Year | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Monday | |
| 2027 | Tuesday | |
| 2028 | Thursday | |
| 2029 | Friday | |
| 2030 | Saturday |
How the date is set: December solstice (date in U.S. Eastern Time).
About Winter
Astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere begins at the December solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. It falls on December 21 or 22 depending on the year and your time zone; the dates here use U.S. Eastern Time.
After the solstice the days start getting longer again, even though the coldest weeks usually come later, in January and February.
A Short History
Midwinter has been marked since prehistoric times. At Newgrange in Ireland, a passage tomb built around 3200 BC, the rising Sun shines down a narrow passage into the inner chamber only in the days around the winter solstice. Later traditions include the Roman Saturnalia, the Germanic Yule, and the Chinese Dongzhi festival, when families gather to eat tangyuan rice balls.
How Many Weeks or Business Days Until Winter?
The countdown above shows the time left in days and weeks. To plan work around Winter, open the date in one of our calculators: the start date is set to today automatically.
Winter FAQ
What day of the week is Winter 2026?
Winter 2026 is on a Monday: Monday, December 21, 2026. The following year it falls on Tuesday, December 21, 2027.
Is the winter solstice the shortest day of the year?
Yes, in the Northern Hemisphere. It has the least daylight of any day of the year, although the earliest sunset arrives a couple of weeks before it and the latest sunrise a couple of weeks after.
Why is it coldest after the solstice?
Oceans and land keep releasing heat stored over summer, so temperatures keep falling for several weeks after the day with the least sunlight. This lag is called seasonal lag.
When does meteorological winter start?
On December 1. Meteorological winter covers December, January and February.