Winter solstice 2021: The first day of winter officially arrives

Whether you like it or not, the season of snowstorms and hunkering indoors on bone-chilling days are approaching.

The first day of winter will be Tuesday, December 21, 2021.

The precise arrival of winter — at 10:59 a.m. Eastern time — is known as the winter solstice, and Tuesday will be the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight.

There will be only 9 hours and 15 minutes of daylight in New York City.

It also means that Christmas is only a few days away, and the new year is approaching swiftly.

Here are a few interesting facts about the beginning of winter:

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice, also called the December solstice, is an astronomical event that occurs when the Earth tilts away from the sun. It happens when the North Pole’s tilt is the furthest from the sun, allowing less light to reach the planet’s northern half.

Although the presence of so much darkness may appear to be depressing, all hope is not gone. As we get closer to spring and warmer weather, each day will progressively become longer and the evenings will gradually shorten after Dec. 21.

It doesn’t winter all around the world.

This may remind you of an old geography lesson: winter isn’t the same everywhere. The start of the summer season for those in the southern hemisphere is December 21.

For those people, Tuesday will be the year’s longest day and shortest night, the polar opposite of what we’re experiencing in the northern hemisphere.

Did winter actually start on Dec. 1?

There are two alternative commencement dates for the winter season, as weather forecasters usually point out.

Meteorologists and climatologists regard December 1 to be the start of winter in the northern hemisphere, with the season lasting through December, January, and February. The “meteorological winter” is based on the annual temperature cycle rather than the Earth’s rotation around the sun.

Because the coldest months are December, January, and February, those in charge of our meteorological agencies and those who produce database their winter climate records and seasonal projections on those three months.

The second winter season, which most people are familiar with, begins on December 21 (occasionally on December 22) and lasts until March 20 or March 21. This is referred to as the “astronomical winter.”

Why is it called a solstice?

According to the Voices.Earth blog, the word “solstice” is derived from the Latin word “solstitium.” It’s made out of the words sol, which means sun, and stadium, which means stop.

The latter term relates to the sun appearing to cease moving for a brief period of time when winter arrives, as well as when summer arrives, which is why the beginning of summer is referred to as the summer solstice.

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# Winter solstice 2021