Solar Winter Begins

In Latvia, on November 6th, solar winter begins - the quarter of the year with the least amount of sunlight.

According to data published on the portal "timeanddate.com", solar winter will continue until February 4th. During these three months, the duration of sunshine in Riga will be less than nine hours a day.

The shortest day will be December 21st, when the time span between sunrise at 9 AM and sunset at 3:43 PM will be just six hours and 43 and a half minutes.

Forty-five days after the winter solstice, the darkest quarter of the year will end, and on February 5th, solar spring will begin, lasting until May 6th. During this period, the length of the day will increase from just under nine hours to just under 16 hours.

Seasons are classified in various ways. Astronomical autumn began this year on September 23rd and will end at the winter solstice - December 21st. Astronomical winter will continue until the spring equinox on March 20th.

Meteorological winter, on the other hand, will begin when the average daily air temperature is below zero for at least five consecutive days, and its start will be the first of these days.
Last year, meteorological winter in Latvia began on November 23rd, in 2024 - on December 4th, but in 2022 and 2023 - already on November 17th.