53 days until the first day of winter
Monday, December 21, 2026Expected dateCounted in New York time. Today is not included.
In weeks, months and sleeps
Weeks and months are counted from today in your own time zone, the same way as the day count. "Sleeps" is the number of nights before the first day of winter, which is the same as the days if you count tonight.
Keep this countdown on your iPhone.
Countdown shows the same count on your home and lock screens and reminds you as the day gets close.
About this countdown
This page counts down to 21 December, the winter solstice and the start of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere. It is the shortest day of the year, and from the next day on the daylight slowly comes back.
- The solstice is a moment, not a whole day. Depending on the year and where you are, it lands on 21 or 22 December.
- Meteorological winter starts earlier, on 1 December, and runs to the end of February.
- South of the equator it is the other way round: 21 December is the longest day, and Australia's winter starts on 1 June.
Questions people ask
How many days until winter?
The number at the top of this page, counted to the solstice in whole days, with today not included.
Does winter start on 1 December or 21 December?
Both dates are used. Weather services start winter on 1 December so the seasons line up with whole months. The astronomical start is the solstice, around 21 December.
When do the days start getting longer?
Right after the solstice, though only by a few seconds a day at first. Sunsets start getting later a bit earlier than that, in early to mid December.
On your lock screen
Add this date to the Countdown app for iPhone and it reminds you before the day. With Pro, the same count sits under the clock on your Lock Screen, so you see it without unlocking the phone.
Get Countdown on the App Store