Winter starts soon

[Zippy]

Dec 21st is the beginning of the end of winter. (and also the date when Earth is closest to the Sun)
I always cheer up after this date, but summer begins around the beginning of May.

[TimberWolf]

Dec 21st is the beginning of the end of winter. (and also the date when Earth is closest to the Sun)
I always cheer up after this date, but summer begins around the beginning of May.

When is the beginning of the beginning of winter?

[TimberWolf]

I must say I didn't realise there was such ambiguity in the minds of people on when winter starts. For good or bad I thought the majority accepted the traditional date of 21(ish) December, in the UK, but it seems judging from the posts here that everyone has their own idea.

[Zippy]

When is the beginning of the beginning of winter?

When the clocks go back.

[TimberWolf]

When the clocks go back.

Last Sunday in October. Hmm, as good as any day I guess. But, that would mean Spring would start at the end of January unless winter is to be more than 3 months.

[Zippy]

Last Sunday in October. Hmm, as good as any day I guess. But, that would mean Spring would start at the end of January unless winter is to be more than 3 months.

Yep, that's right. You start getting bulbs coming up about then.

[HairyArsedBloke]

Here's a nice song to cheer you up:

For my version of the Burton bit - sminkiHairy Arsed Bloke: Forever Autumn

[VectraMan]

I must say I didn't realise there was such ambiguity in the minds of people on when winter starts. For good or bad I thought the majority accepted the traditional date of 21(ish) December, in the UK, but it seems judging from the posts here that everyone has their own idea.

I'm pretty sure I was never told in school, in science, or history, or anything "official" that said 21st December was the start of winter, so I'm not sure why you think that date is traditional, or even would be accepted by the majority.

And as you point out in your first post, it's clearly cobblers. Chances are we've had the worst of the low temperatures, and it'll get a bit warmer over the next few weeks, or worst case it carries on being this cold. It seems incredibly unlikely it'll start getting cold on Tuesday for the start of winter.

[TimberWolf]

I'm pretty sure I was never told in school, in science, or history, or anything "official" that said 21st December was the start of winter, so I'm not sure why you think that date is traditional, or even would be accepted by the majority.

And as you point out in your first post, it's clearly cobblers. Chances are we've had the worst of the low temperatures, and it'll get a bit warmer over the next few weeks, or worst case it carries on being this cold. It seems incredibly unlikely it'll start getting cold on Tuesday for the start of winter.

I guess most people don't know when winter traditionally (not 'officially') starts, and certainly not how late in the year this date is set. That is the date you'll probably see on a calendar though.

A bit earlier would tie up better with the weather in the UK (the south anyway), as per the weathermen's range of the whole of Dec, Jan, Feb.

[RichardCranium]

Dec 21st is the beginning of the end of winter. (and also the date when Earth is closest to the Sun)

No, it isn't. It is when, in the Northern Hemisphere, the axis is parallel to the line from the Earth to the Sun, meaning the day length equals the night length. (That makes it the shortest day.) Our non-circular orbit around the sun is not part of that.

In the Southern hemisphere, because their pole, the South pole, is sunward, they get their longest day.