It's officially winter in the Gulf... from Thursday

Winter will start in the Gulf and other parts of the northern hemisphere on Thursday, which will witness the shortest day and longest night of the year, according to a Saudi astronomy group.

“Winter will begin in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states on December 22, Thursday at 8.30 am (Saudi time)…it will have the shortest day and longest night of the year,” the Astronomy Committee in the Western Red Sea port of Jeddah said in a statement carried by Saudi newspapers on Tuesday.

It said this winter season would be divided into three periods, including Dec 22-Jan 20, when night will be longer than day.

The second period between Jan 21 and Feb 19 will see a gradual shortening of around 32 minutes in the night period. During the third period of between Feb 20 and March 20, the day will get longer by 48 minutes.