It happened at precisely 10:27 PM Eastern Time. On Thursday, December 21, the first day of winter 2023 officially kicked off, but if you stepped outside in places like New York or Chicago, you probably didn't need a parka. It was a strange moment in time. While the calendar said "winter," the atmosphere was whispering something else entirely. Most of us call it the winter solstice, but honestly, it’s just the moment the Northern Hemisphere tilts as far away from the sun as it’s going to get for the year.
The sun sat at its lowest point in the sky.
Shadows were long. Ridiculously long. If you went for a walk at noon that day, your shadow looked like a giant towering over the sidewalk. That is the geometry of the solstice in action. People often think the first day of winter 2023 is the coldest day of the year, but that is a massive misconception. Usually, the real deep freeze doesn't hit until January or February because of "seasonal lag." The oceans and the land take a while to lose the heat they soaked up all summer. It's like turning off a stove; the burner stays hot for a bit.
What actually happened on the first day of winter 2023?
Astronomy is weirdly precise. We aren't just talking about a day; we are talking about a specific second where the North Pole reaches its maximum tilt of about 23.5 degrees away from the sun. In 2023, this occurred while the world was grappling with a massive El Niño event. This wasn't your standard, run-of-the-mill winter start.
El Niño changed everything.
Because of that warm water in the Pacific, the jet stream got pushed around. For many in the U.S., the first day of winter 2023 was actually part of one of the warmest Decembers on record. You might remember seeing people golfing in Minnesota or hiking in light sweaters in New England. It felt wrong. It felt like the seasons were broken. But scientifically, the solstice doesn't care about the temperature. It only cares about the light.
On that day, Fairbanks, Alaska, saw less than four hours of sunlight. Imagine that. You wake up, it's dark. You eat lunch, the sun is barely hovering over the horizon. You finish your coffee, and it's nighttime again. Meanwhile, at the South Pole, they were celebrating the first day of summer with 24 hours of blinding brightness.
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The Great Tilt and the Science of the Dark
The tilt is everything. If the Earth didn't lean, we wouldn't have seasons at all. We’d just have the same boring weather every single day based on how far north or south you lived. Boring.
During the first day of winter 2023, the sun was directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. That’s a line of latitude about 23 degrees south of the equator. If you were standing in certain parts of Australia or South America that day, the sun would have been directly over your head at noon. No shadow. Just you and the heat.
But for those of us in the north, it was the "Shortest Day."
Technically, it's the day with the fewest hours of daylight, but every day after that gets a little bit longer. It’s a slow burn. You don’t notice it on December 22nd. You don't even really notice it by New Year’s. But by the time you hit late January, you suddenly realize you aren't driving home from work in pitch blackness anymore. That’s the "rebirth of the sun" that ancient cultures used to freak out about.
Why we obsess over the solstice
Stonehenge. Newgrange. Chichen Itza.
Humans have been obsessed with the first day of winter 2023—or rather, the winter solstice in general—for thousands of years. Why? Because if you’re a farmer 3,000 years ago, the solstice is a matter of life and death. It's the turning point. It’s the assurance that the world isn’t going to just keep getting darker until everything dies.
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At Newgrange in Ireland, there’s a tomb that’s older than the pyramids. It has a tiny window called a roof box. On the winter solstice, and only then, a beam of light shoots through that hole and illuminates the entire inner chamber. It’s a 5,000-year-old light show. The people who built it were geniuses. They tracked the movement of the stars and the sun with more precision than most of us do with our iPhones.
Myths that just won't die
One thing that drives meteorologists crazy is the idea that the solstice is the "start" of winter.
In the world of weather, winter actually starts on December 1st. We call that "Meteorological Winter." It’s much easier for record-keeping. They group December, January, and February together because those are generally the three coldest months.
So, when the first day of winter 2023 rolled around on December 21, meteorologists were already three weeks into their winter. It's a bit of a divide between the astronomers and the weather people. Honestly, the weather people are probably right when it comes to how we actually feel the season. By the time the solstice hits, most of us are already over the cold and ready for spring.
- Astronomic Winter: Starts at the solstice.
- Meteorological Winter: Starts Dec 1.
- Actual Vibes: Usually starts when you have to scrape ice off your windshield for the first time.
The El Niño Factor of 2023
You can't talk about the first day of winter 2023 without talking about the heat. This wasn't a normal year. 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded in human history. Think about that.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had been tracking a "strong" El Niño. This meant that the southern branch of the jet stream was supercharged. It brought lots of rain to California and the South, but it kept the freezing Arctic air trapped way up north in Canada.
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That is why, for millions of people, the first day of winter 2023 felt like a mild autumn day.
In some parts of the Midwest, temperatures were 20 to 30 degrees above average. It’s hard to get into the holiday spirit when the grass is still green and you’re wearing a windbreaker. But this is the complexity of our planet. Just because the sun is at its lowest point doesn't mean the atmosphere has to play along.
Practical takeaways from the solstice
Even though 2023 is in the rearview mirror, the lessons from that solstice still apply every year. You've got to prepare for the "seasonal lag." If the first day of winter 2023 taught us anything, it’s that the calendar is just a suggestion.
First, check your Vitamin D levels. When the sun is that low, even if it's sunny out, your skin isn't producing much Vitamin D because the atmosphere filters out too many UVB rays.
Second, watch the birds. Around the solstice, you'll start to notice subtle changes in animal behavior. They know the light is returning long before we do.
Finally, use that long night. The first day of winter 2023 had over 14 hours of darkness in many places. It’s the perfect time for stargazing. Because the air is usually drier in winter, the stars don't twinkle as much—they look like steady, piercing points of light. It’s the best time of year to see the Orion constellation or the Pleiades.
The solstice isn't just a day on a calendar. It’s a massive, planetary-scale event that affects your mood, your energy bill, and the way the birds act in your backyard. Whether it’s 60 degrees or 6 degrees, the tilt remains. And that tilt is the only reason we have the rhythm of life as we know it.
Next Steps for Winter Awareness:
- Audit your home's insulation: Since seasonal lag means the coldest days are usually 3-6 weeks after the solstice, late December is the last chance to seal window gaps before the true January deep freeze.
- Track the light: Start a "light log" to see how many minutes of afternoon sun you gain each week starting after the solstice; it’s a proven way to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
- Prepare for "False Springs": In El Niño years, expect warm spikes followed by brutal freezes; keep your sensitive plants covered even if it feels warm in late December.
- Review your emergency kit: The first day of winter is the ideal annual reminder to check car batteries and tire pressure, as cold air causes pressure to drop significantly.