Alicia Roman has the latest forecast for the Chicago area.
While the winter solstice hasn't happened just yet, the darkest days of the year for 2024 are officially upon us.
"To most of us in North America, this is a dark time of year—and you’re right," the Old Farmer's Almanac explains. "The sunsets come exceedingly early."
The "shortest" day of the year -- the day with the least amount of daylight -- occurs later in the month, on Dec. 21. But the earliest sunsets come in early December, the Almanac goes on to say.
Dec. 1, the Chicago area saw its last, "latest" sunset, at 4:20 p.m., the website timeanddate said. By Dec. 2, the area started seeing a 4:19 p.m.. sunset, which will last through Dec. 13, the site said. Beginning Dec. 14, 4:20 p.m. sunsets come back in the picture, with the sun setting 4:22 p.m. on the Winter Solstice, and getting later from there.
"Wherever you live, before the winter solstice starts, the afternoons will start getting brighter," the Almanac said.
As the solstice approaches, here's what to know.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs when the North Pole is at its maximum tilt away from the sun, giving the hemisphere its fewest hours of sunlight in a given day and coinciding with some of the coldest weather that the hemisphere will experience.
This year, the winter solstice will officially occur at 3:21 a.m. Central Standard Time on Saturday, Dec. 21, according to the National Weather Service.
When is the winter solstice?
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In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs every year on Dec. 21 or 22. This year, it falls on Dec. 21.
The summer solstice is six months later around June 21.
For people who live below the equator, however, those days are flipped. Their winter solstice occurs in June, while their summer solstice happens in December.
Can you see the winter solstice?
Sort of.
Each day, the sun traces a path across the sky, rising in the east and setting in the west. As the winter solstice approaches and the number of hours of sunlight in a day decreases, the sun's path sinks lower in the sky, though it follows the same general arc.
By the time the winter solstice arrives, the sun sits at the lowest position in the sky it can.
As a result, the shadow you cast becomes longer and longer as the winter solstice approaches. So, while solstices aren't nearly as visible as eclipses, if you go outside at noon on the winter solstice, your shadow will be the longest it will be all year.
When will days start getting longer?
The day after the winter solstice, Chicago will slowly begin gaining daylight, but it may be hard to notice at first. In fact, according to TimeandDate.com, the city will have gained just under four minutes of daylight in the final 10 days of the year, with sunset occurring just before 4:30 p.m.
Around New Year’s Day, Chicago will still be gaining daylight each day, but sunrise will be occurring at its latest point of the year, with the sun coming up around 7:18 a.m. each day.
By the end of January, Chicago will be gaining two minutes of daylight per day, and sunset will be occurring after 5 p.m. for the first time since daylight saving time ended on Nov. 3.
Jan. 30 will also be the date that Chicago eclipses 10 hours of daylight, with bigger and bigger gains coming as the winter continues.
