The changing of the seasons is one of the things that people either love or hate about living in the Midwest, and we’re about to mark another change on the calendar in the coming week.
That’s because it will officially be astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere late next week, with “meteorological winter” technically starting on Dec. 1.
When will the winter solstice take place?
According to NASA, the precise timing of the winter solstice this year will occur at 9:27 p.m. on Dec. 21, making that the shortest day of the year in terms of total daylight.
What exactly does the winter solstice represent?
Not only does the solstice represent the lowest amount of daylight, with Chicago seeing just under nine hours and eight minutes of daylight on Dec. 21, but it also represents the moment in time when the Earth’s axis is tilted furthest away from the sun, according to astronomers.
As a result, the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere represents the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.
Local
On the summer solstice in the Chicago area, the Earth’s axis is at its closest point to the sun in its yearly revolution.
So does that mean that it’s the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise of the year?
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Since the calendar isn’t a perfect reflection of the Earth’s movements through space, the answer to this question is no.
The earliest sunset of the year actually occurred earlier this month in the city of Chicago, just after 4:19 p.m. In fact, on Dec. 15, the sun will actually set at 4:20 p.m., showing that sunset is actually starting to grow later a week before the solstice.
The days, however, are still becoming shorter, and that’s because the sunrise is occurring later and later, and will continue to do so until early January, when the sunrise will occur at approximately 7:18 a.m.
Will the weather mirror the season?
Climate models suggest that the Chicago area could see above-average temperatures on the solstice.
According to the National Weather Service, the average high temperature on Dec. 21 is 35 degrees, with a record temperature of 62 degrees observed on Dec. 21, 1967.
Current forecasts from the NBC 5 Storm Team call for a high of 43 degrees and partly sunny skies on Thursday.
