For many people in the US, winter has come a little early, as a few waves of snow and blisteringly cold temperatures have colored the landscape white. It isn't officially winter yet, and it won't be until Dec. 21 when the winter solstice takes place. So get ready because Earth's shortest day is on its way.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice has a few different meanings, so here are all of them. The most common definition, and the one you're most likely familiar with, is that it denotes the shortest day and longest night of the year on Earth. These times vary depending on your location on the globe, but the further north you live, the less sunlight you'll get. In the tropics, they'll get about 12 hours of sunlight. In Sweden, it'll be closer to six hours. In Svalbard, there isn't any.
The reason this occurs is due to the second definition of the winter solstice: During this time, the North Pole is tilted as far away from the sun as it can get. According to The Farmer's Almanac, the moment at which the Earth's axis is physically tilted as much as it can be is at 10:03 a.m. ET on Dec. 21. After that moment, the process will begin to reverse until the South Pole takes its turn during the summer solstice. At that point, the North Pole will be at its closest tilt to the sun, giving us the longest day and shortest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere.
Sunset will occur at its earliest time on Dec. 21. CNET
How much sunlight will we get?
It'll vary by location. The southern US will have the most sunlight, with Florida getting a little over 10 hours during the winter solstice. The Midwest and Great Lakes portion of the country will get roughly nine hours. The Pacific Northwest can expect a little less than nine hours. Southern Alaska will get about six hours, and the northern areas of Alaska will see around three hours.
If you want to see how your area will fare, Time and Date has a sunrise and sunset tool you can use. Input your zip code into the search bar, and you'll be able to see your sunrise and sunset times.
The city of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, will have it worse than most in the US: It won't get any sun at all. The sun won't rise there again until Jan. 22. We hope the people living there packed their vitamin D supplements.
The difference between a solstice and an equinox
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