Solar winter begins in Latvia, marking the darkest quarter of the year
Solar winter, the quarter of the year with the least sunlight, began in Latvia on Friday. According to timeanddate.com, it will last until 4 February.
Latvia entered so-called solar winter on Friday, the darkest quarter of the year, when sunlight is at its scarcest. According to the timeanddate.com portal, which calculates time and astronomical events, the period will last until 4 February. Over the next three months, days will be especially short.
Shortest day in December
The shortest day is expected on 21 December. In Riga, the sun will rise at 9:00 and set at 15:43, so daylight will last six hours and just under 44 minutes. After the winter solstice, days will gradually begin to lengthen.
Solar spring
Solar spring will begin on 5 February and run until 6 May. During this time, day length will grow from just under nine hours to almost 16 hours.
How it differs from other definitions of winter
Solar winter is not the same as astronomical or meteorological winter. This year, astronomical winter will start on 21 December and continue until 20 March. The start of meteorological winter is determined by air temperature: it begins when the average daily temperature stays below zero for at least five days in a row.
In previous years, meteorological winter in Latvia has begun at different times. Last year it arrived on 23 November, in 2024 on 4 December, and in both 2022 and 2023 as early as 17 November.
