When does winter 2025 start? More on first day of season, winter solstice

Winter storm preparations

Here are some safety tips to remember during winter storm preparations.

• The first official day of winter in 2025 is Sunday, December 21.
• The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Winter is caused by the Earth’s 23.5-degree tilt, which points the Northern Hemisphere furthest from the sun during this season.
• Winter will last until the vernal equinox on Thursday, March 20, 2025, which marks the beginning of spring.

It may be the beginning of December, but the official start to winter is still three weeks out. Despite the recent snow and the freezing temperatures in the commonwealth, it is still technically fall.

Here’s when the first official day of winter will be in 2025.

The first day of winter is Dec. 21, the date of this year’s winter solstice for the northern hemisphere.

Winter lasts from Dec. 21 in the northern hemisphere until March 20, 2026, when the vernal equinox will mark the beginning of spring.

The reason we have seasonal weather at all is because the Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees. Winter happens when the northern hemisphere is tilted its furthest away from the sun. And that occurs usually between December 21-22, which is called the winter solstice.

During the winter solstice, the sun has reached its lowest point in the sky, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year for everyone living on Earth’s northern hemisphere, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile in the southern hemisphere, the sun has reached its highest point in the noontime sky in the Tropic of Capricorn. That means while the U.S. is observing three months of winter, it’s summertime in places like Australia and Brazil.

Solstice is a combination of the Latin words sol, meaning “sun,” and sistere meaning “to stop,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. It’s derived from the Latin word solstitium. Or to put it in another way: solstice means “sun stands still.”

These are the first dates of the current and upcoming seasons:

• Fall: Sept. 22, 2025 (autumnal equinox).
• Winter: Dec. 21, 2025 (winter solstice).
• Spring: March 20, 2026 (vernal equinox)
• Summer: June 21, 2026 (summer solstice).

Kentucky weather: Snow, ice to arrive in Louisville area Monday night. What to know

John Tufts and Katie Wiseman contributed. Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.