When is the shortest day of the year 2025? Exact date of winter solstice revealed amid dark mornings and early sunsets
As the mornings seem to remain dark for hours, many will be wondering when the shortest day of the year is taking place.
Residents around the country have been waking up to darkness and late sunrises as the winter draws in. As a result, many people will be looking forward to the moment that mornings start getting lighter and the sun sets a little later in the evenings.
Here’s everything you need to know about 2025’s winter solstice.
When is the shortest day of the year?
The shortest day of the year is also known as the winter solstice. This is the moment when the sun appears to stand still directly over the Tropic of Capricorn (which is the most southerly latitude point it reaches every year).
As a result of this, the southern hemisphere experiences the longest day of the year, while the northern hemisphere is left with less light and the maximum amount of darkness, giving these countries their shortest day of the year.
This year’s winter solstice will take place on Sunday, December 21. Cities across the UK will only experience a few hours of sunshine on this day. Inverness, the most northerly city in the UK, will see sunrise at 8:57am while the sun will set at only 3.32pm.
Other countries in the northern hemisphere will also experience similar sunrise and sunset times. Tromso, a northern city in Norway, will have no sunlight all day on the date of the winter solstice due to its extremely northerly location.
After December 21, you may be able to spot mornings slowly getting brighter and night remain lit for longer as the winter days progress into spring and into the summer, when the summer solstice (the longest day of the year) will take place.