Winter 2024


When is Winter 2024?

Winter 2024 starts on Saturday, December 21, 2024 (in 278 days) and ends on Thursday, March 20th 2025 (in 367 days).  Calendar for 2024
Please note: The dates given on this page are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). While Winter starts and ends at the same moment in time all over the Northern Hemisphere, the date and local time differ from location to location depending on a location's time zone. For more details see the explanations below.
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What is Winter?

Winter afternoon. Photo: flickr.com/photos/22746515@N02/5277611659Winter afternoon
Winter is one of the four seasons that make up the year. It is the coldest time of the year and falls between autumn (fall) and spring, the intervening periods that lead from and to summer, the warmest time of the year.

Astronomical winter vs. meteorological winter

There are various ways to define the start and end dates of winter. The two most commonly used ones are based on the astronomical calendar and the meteorological calendar. Astronomical and meteorological winter start and end on different dates.

Astronomical winter

In the astronomical calendar the start and end dates of winter are based on the changing position of Earth in relation to the sun and the resulting solar events of equinoxes and solstices. In the Northern Hemisphere autumn ends and winter starts at the moment of the December solstice, which occurs every year between December 20 and December 23. Winter ends and spring starts at the moment of the March equinox, which occurs every year between March 19 and March 21. In the Southern Hemisphere winter lasts from the June solstice (June 20 to 22) to the September equinox (September 21 to 24).

The start and end dates for winter given on this page are the dates of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere and are based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which for practical purposes is equivalent to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT - the time zone of the United Kingdom). While winter starts and ends at the same moment in time all over the Northern Hemisphere, the date and local time differ from place to place depending on the year and a location's time zone. For locations that are ahead of UTC (further east) it may fall on the day after, and for locations that are behind UTC (further west) it may fall on the day before. To find out the exact date and time of winter 2024 in your area use this seasons calculator.

Meteorological winter

Meteorologists, on the other hand, define seasons based on climatic conditions and the annual temperature cycle. It is important for them to be able to compare the same period of time in different years. The length of the astronomical seasons varies between 89 and 93 days, while the length of the meteorological seasons is less variable and is fixed at 90 days for winter in a non-leap year (91 days in a leap year), 92 days for spring and summer, and 91 days for autumn. While the exact definition of a season's timing and length can differ in different areas based on local conditions, in most of the Northern Hemisphere meteorological winter is generally defined as the three months of December, January and February, with the season starting on December 1 and ending on February 28 (29 in a leap year).

There is no "official rule" which definition of winter to use, and different countries adhere to different conventions. Most of North America and Europe use astronomical winter, while Australia and New Zealand use meteorological winter (however, as these countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposed and winter there lasts from June to August). In other cultures, eg. in the traditional Chinese calendar and in Celtic traditions, the December solstice is considered to be roughly the middle of winter.

Further reading:

Comparison table: meteorological spring vs. astronomical spring

Dates shown apply to the Northern Hemisphere and are based on UTC (GMT)
Sea­son Start End
Mete­oro­logi­cal Astro­nomi­cal Mete­oro­logi­cal Astro­nomi­cal
Spring March 1 March 19 to 21
Spring equi­nox
(vernal equi­nox, March equi­nox)
May 31 June 20 to 22
Summer sols­tice
(June sols­tice)
Sum­mer June 1 June 20 to 22
Summer solstice
(June solstice)
August 31 Septem­ber 21 to 24
Autumn equi­nox
(Fall equi­nox, Septem­ber equi­nox)
Au­tumn
(Fall)
Sep­tem­ber 1 Septem­ber 21 to 24
Autumn equi­nox
(Fall equi­nox, Septem­ber equi­nox)
Novem­ber 30 Decem­ber 20 to 23
Winter sols­tice
(Decem­ber sols­tice)
Winter Decem­ber 1 Decem­ber 20 to 23
Winter sols­tice
(De­cem­ber sols­tice)
February 28 (29) March 19 to 21
Spring equi­nox
(vernal equi­nox, March equi­nox)

When is Winter 2025?

Winter 2025 starts on Sunday, December 21, 2025 (in 643 days) and ends on Friday, March 20th 2026 (in 732 days).  Calendar for 2025

Dates for Winter in other years

The next occurrence of Winter is marked in red.

Year Winter starts on Winter ends on
Winter 2019      Sunday, December 22, 2019      Friday, March 20, 2020
Winter 2020      Monday, December 21, 2020      Saturday, March 20, 2021
Winter 2021      Tuesday, December 21, 2021      Sunday, March 20, 2022
Winter 2022      Wednesday, December 21, 2022      Monday, March 20, 2023
Winter 2023      Friday, December 22, 2023      Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Winter 2024      Saturday, December 21, 2024      Thursday, March 20, 2025
Winter 2025      Sunday, December 21, 2025      Friday, March 20, 2026
Winter 2026      Monday, December 21, 2026      Saturday, March 20, 2027
Winter 2027      Wednesday, December 22, 2027      Monday, March 20, 2028
Winter 2028      Thursday, December 21, 2028      Tuesday, March 20, 2029
Winter 2029      Friday, December 21, 2029      Wednesday, March 20, 2030
Data provided 'as is' without warranty

Winter 2024
Dates of Winter 2024 and surrounding years as downloadable image file

Printable 2024 Calendars for Word, Excel and PDF


Calendar templates 2024 for Word, Excel and PDF

Free printable 2024 calendar templates

A selection of downloadable, printable calendar templates for 2024 with US federal holidays, suitable for a variety of applications. Available for Word, Excel and PDF.


Word

Excel

PDF

Dates of other holidays, events and celebrations

See events index
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