that has not been the case for the past few years. it’s getting hot much earlier.
I saw what you did, there…
I lived in London, back in the 1970s, and can confirm.
Generally, a rainy autumn. Sort of like Seattle, for the US folks familiar.
- Calendar winter: December first to February last.
- Metorological winter according to our meteorologists: "the period of the year where the daily average temperature is below zero degrees Celsius" [Sweden: https://www.smhi.se/kunskapsbanken/meteorologi/arstider/vint...] and [Norway: https://snl.no/vinter]
Today I learned of a third definition.
Now, usually the other definition people use relates to their locate climate for practical purposes.
Maybe it it time to rename it to “Firstwinter Day”! ;)
As I wrote, in European tradition 'winter' starts much earlier than the winter solstice because quite obviously the cold and grey months start earlier.
I am still puzzled that you never heard of 21st December being the beginning of the (astronomical) winter, like 21st June is beginning of summer, etc.
- Official communication (e.g. with tax authorities) use december first as first day of winter quarter.
- Social connotations use either a simplified version of the scientific/metrological definition (e.g. is it cold enough to be called winter yet? E.g. is it warm enough that winter has ended?) or calendar winter (dec-jan-feb).
- Historical reasons, late December is literally called "middle of the winter". Same thing with summer, it officially begins on June 1st and the summer solstice marks the "middle of summer" the same way "Mittwoch" marks the middle of the week.
- In the scientific literature I occasionally read (e.g. meteorology and biology) I read the definition is when the average daily temperature determines winter and never based on astronomy.