Days Until First Day of Winter
Live countdown to First Day of Winter: the exact number of days, plus a ticking hours/minutes/seconds clock to Monday, December 21, 2026.
Wondering how many days until First Day of Winter? This page shows the live count — days, hours, minutes, and seconds — to Monday, December 21, 2026, and rolls forward to next year's date automatically once the day passes. Winter begins at the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The solstice falls on December 21 in most years of this era (occasionally December 20 or 22), so this page counts down to December 21.
Days until First Day of Winter
66
First Day of Winter falls on Monday, December 21, 2026
66
Days to go
14
Hours
10
Minutes
33
Seconds
How the date is set: December 21 (winter solstice in most years). The counter updates every second and rolls over to the next year automatically once the day has passed.
How to use this calculator
- Open this page — the countdown starts by itself, no buttons to press.
- Read the big gold number: that is how many whole days remain until First Day of Winter.
- Check the target date shown under the number (Monday, December 21, 2026) and the live hours/minutes/seconds clock.
- Leave the tab open or come back anytime; after the day passes it counts down to next year's date on its own.
The formula
First Day of Winter: December 21 (winter solstice in most years).
Worked example
Worked example: on Friday, October 16, 2026, this page showed 66 days until First Day of Winter. That matches a calendar count from October 16 to Monday, December 21, 2026, and it was produced by the same resolver the page uses live (verified against published 2026 calendars).
Frequently Asked Questions
When is First Day of Winter in 2026?
First Day of Winter falls on Monday, December 21, 2026. Winter begins at the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The solstice falls on December 21 in most years of this era (occasionally December 20 or 22), so this page counts down to December 21.
How many days until First Day of Winter?
It depends on today's date, and this page computes it live so it is never stale. For a concrete example: on Friday, October 16, 2026, the counter read 66 days until First Day of Winter on Monday, December 21, 2026. The big number counts whole days to the date, while the smaller clock keeps ticking through the hours, minutes, and seconds.
How is the date of this day determined?
The rule is: December 21 (winter solstice in most years). After the solstice the days slowly lengthen again — by New Year's Day there are already a few extra minutes of daylight.
What happens to the countdown after the day passes?
It rolls over automatically. As soon as the date is behind us, the page resolves next year's occurrence using the same rule and starts counting down to that, so the page is correct whenever you visit it — no stale dates, ever.
Why does the day of the week change every year?
A normal year has 365 days, which is 52 weeks plus one extra day, so a fixed calendar date lands one weekday later the next year (two after a leap year). Days set by a weekday rule, like the fourth Thursday of November, keep their weekday and shift their calendar date instead.