This depends on how we define the seasons.
Meteorological winter starts on 1 December – approximately three weeks before the solstice – and runs until the final day of February.
This is because weather forecasters divide the year into four equal chunks of three months each, with spring running from March to May, summer from June to August and autumn from September until November.
It means weather records are standardised, using the same dates every year, allowing for straightforward analysis of changes in the climate over time.
However the astronomical seasons are defined by the Earth’s position in its orbit, marked out by the solstices and equinoxes.
And so by this criteria, the winter solstice is the first day of winter.
