Today, December 1 marks the first day of meteorological winter. And while winter weather has hit portions of the northeast hard in recent days, it looks like Old Man Winter may take a break from new snowstorms in the short term.

December 1 marks the arrival of the 2024-2025 Meteorological Winter Season. Meteorological winter is a three month period that runs through to the  end of February. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the coldest three month period of the year. Meteorological Winter is different from Astronomical Winter, which is based on when the sun reaches the most southern point on the globe, the Tropic of Capricorn. If you are right on the Tropic of Capricorn at 12 noon on the first day of Astronomical Winter, the sun will be directly overhead. This year, that date is Friday, December 20. While winter is starting in the Northern Hemisphere, summer begins in the Southern Hemisphere. The word “winter” comes from the Germanic “wintar” which in turn is derived from the root wed meaning ‘wet’ or water’, and so signifying a wet season. In Anglo-Saxon cultures, years were counted by the winters, so a person could be said to be “2 winters old”.

Astronomical Spring will begin on March 19, 2025 while Meteorological Spring will begin on March 1, 2025.