Overview
- The exact moment of the solstice is Sunday, December 21, 2025, at 3:03 p.m. GMT (10:03 a.m. EST), marking the start of astronomical winter.
- In London the shortest day brings about 7 hours 49 minutes 42 seconds of daylight, with sunset around 3:54 p.m.; Edinburgh and Glasgow expect sunsets near 3:40 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.
- The earliest sunset already occurred on December 12, and the latest sunrise follows on December 30, a offset explained by the equation of time.
- UK forecasts indicate first post-5 p.m. sunsets return in late January to early February 2026, including County Fermanagh on January 28, Birmingham on February 5, London on February 7, and Edinburgh on February 8.
- Met Office guidance points to breezy, at times gale-prone conditions before a drier, more settled spell with frost and fog risk into early January, with any snow mainly over higher ground in the north.