Winter officially arrives on Saturday.

More specifically, the astronomical winter, known as the winter solstice, begins on Saturday, December 21st. This will be the shortest day of the year. After that, the days slowly get longer until the summer solstice comes on June 20, 2025.

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The meteorological winter began on December 1st.

What is the difference between astronomical and meteorological seasons?

Meteorological and astronomical seasons begin and end on different dates. The reason lies in how the individual terms are defined.

According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, astronomical seasons are based on the Earth’s position relative to the Sun, while meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle.

Meteorological seasons are the three-month periods that we commonly refer to when we talk about spring, summer, fall, and winter.

According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, meteorological seasons were created because traditional seasons varied between 89 and 93 days. This made it difficult to compare statistics from one year to another.

According to NOAA, astronomical seasons are based on Earth’s position on its annual journey around the sun. Seasons are defined by two solstices and two equinoxes.

The four meteorological seasons

For meteorologists, seasons are defined by the months, which are often associated with temperatures and weather.

• Spring: March, April, May.

• Summer: June, July, August.

• Traps: September, October, November.

• winter: December, January, February.

• Autumnal Equinox: September 22nd

When does winter start? The meteorological winter of 2024 began on December 1st

According to the definitions above, meteorological winter began on Sunday, December 1st.

Astronomical winter 2024 begins on December 21st, at the winter solstice

Astronomical winter doesn’t begin this year until Saturday, December 21, at 4:21 a.m. EST, which also marks the winter solstice, according to Old Famer’s Almanac.

This will be the shortest day of the year, and the days will get longer until June 20, the summer solstice. The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year with the most hours of sunshine.

The winter solstice occurs on either December 21st or 22nd each year.

How many hours of daylight will there be in Florida on the winter solstice?

Using Orlando as a reference point, the Central Florida city will receive 10 hours and 19 minutes of daylight on December 21st.

Compare that to the daylight hours we’ll see on the summer solstice on Friday, June 20, 2025: 13 hours and 57 minutes, according to Timeanddate.com.

To see how many hours of daylight you will have at your location, use the map from Timeanddate.com.

Compare Florida’s winter solstice daylight hours to other U.S. cities

If you’re curious, here’s how the winter solstice daylight hours in Florida compare to some other US cities:

• Orlando, Florida: 10 hours, 19 minutes

• Washington, DC: 9 hours, 26 minutes

• New York City: 9 hours, 15 minutes

• Seattle, Washington: 8 hours, 25 minutes

• Los Angeles, California: 9 hours, 53 minutes

• Honolulu, Hawaii: 10 hours, 50 minutes

• Fairbanks, Alaska: 3 hours, 41 minutes

A cold front hits Florida just in time for the winter solstice

Temperatures in Florida will drop on December 21st, just in time for the start of astronomical winter. Some areas could feel temperatures in the 20s and 30s before warming up in time for Christmas.

This article originally appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: Winter begins this week. Compare daylight hours in Florida