Winter 2020

Winter 2020 starts on Monday, December 21, 2020 (in 16 days) and ends on Saturday, March 20th 2021 (in 104 days).  Calendar for 2020

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.

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 2020 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:

• Winter on Wikipedia
• Seasons in general on Wikipedia

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)

Winter 2021 starts on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 (in 381 days) and ends on Sunday, March 20th 2022 (in 469 days).  Calendar for 2021

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