Put a number on your plans
When is the first day of winter?
Today: September 26, 2026 · New York (Eastern Time)
86days until winter
December solstice · Monday, December 21, 2026 at 3:50 PM
- Weeks + days
- 12w 2d
- Months + days
- 2m 25d
- Weekdays
- 61
- Weekend days
- 25
- Sleeps
- 86
New York (Eastern Time). The December solstice time is published to the minute.
See the calendar & breakdown
December 2026
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
December 21, 2026
Each day of the week
- Mon
- 13
- Tue
- 12
- Wed
- 12
- Thu
- 12
- Fri
- 12
- Sat
- 12
- Sun
- 13
Weekend days are individual dates, not pairs.
First day of winter, 2026 to 2031
- 2026
- Monday, December 21, 2026 at 3:50 PM · 86 days away
- 2027
- Tuesday, December 21, 2027 at 9:42 PM · 451 days away
- 2028
- Thursday, December 21, 2028 at 3:19 AM · 817 days away
- 2029
- Friday, December 21, 2029 at 9:14 AM · 1,182 days away
- 2030
- Saturday, December 21, 2030 at 3:09 PM · 1,547 days away
- 2031
- Sunday, December 21, 2031 at 8:55 PM · 1,912 days away
How this count works
Winter starts at the December solstice. The US Naval Observatory publishes its time to the minute, and this page converts that time to your time zone, so the date can differ from place to place.
This is the astronomical winter of the Northern Hemisphere. Meteorological winter starts on December 1. In the Southern Hemisphere the seasons are reversed.
For example
The December solstice of 2026 is at 20:50 UTC. In New York that is December 21, 2026 at 3:50 PM, which is the date this page counts to there.
Questions about this countdown
Why can the date differ between time zones?
An equinox or solstice happens at one instant for the whole world. Depending on your time zone, that instant can fall on a different calendar date.
Are these the meteorological seasons?
No. These are the astronomical seasons, which start at the equinoxes and solstices. Meteorological seasons use whole months: spring is March, April and May in the Northern Hemisphere.
Does the count include today?
No. The day count leaves out today and includes the date the season starts in your time zone.