Winter solstice 2021: The first day of winter officially arrives

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.

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.”

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.