When is the first day of winter?
Austin & Travis Co. officials talk winter weather
Three years ago a major winter storm hit Austin and another followed in 2023. Both caused major problems and today there was an exercise to see if first responders and the city and county are ready for the next big storm. FOX's Rudy Koski has details.
AUSTIN - December is here and temperatures are dropping in Central Texas, but the first day of winter is still a ways away.
When does winter start?
Winter will officially begin on Saturday, December 21 at 3:20 a.m. central time in the Northern Hemisphere.
December 21 is the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year.
What is the winter solstice?
Photo of snow in Hill Country courtesy mbfreeman37.
The winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
Austin will get 10 hours and 11 minutes and 38 seconds of daylight.
The word solstice comes from the Latin words "sol," meaning sun, and "sistere," which means standing still.
That's because the sun's path across the sky is as low as it gets.
When does winter end?
Winter will last until the vernal equinox on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
The vernal equinox is when there are nearly equal periods of daylight and darkness.
That marks the first day of spring.
What will the weather be like this winter?
The National Weather Service believes there will be above average temperatures and below-average precipitation for Texas this winter.
READ MORE: Texas winter weather patterns look similar to 2021, ERCOT meteorologist says
But while the weather can be mostly warm, a few extremely cold days can still cause some serious problems.
Be sure to download the FOX 7 weather app to see the latest forecasts near you.
It's available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.