Winter Solstice 2023: When it occurs and what happens on this day?

The winter solstice is around the corner. It is the day with the longest night and shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. It will occur on Thursday, December 21. It also marks the beginning of astronomical winter. On the other hand, the Southern Solstice, or south of the equator, it's the summer solstice, heralding the beginning of the summer.

It lasts only for a moment

It is interesting to note that people often think the winter solstice is an event that spans an entire day. But according to the Old Farmer's Almanac, it actually lasts only for a moment. The Almanac says, "Specifically, it’s the exact moment when a hemisphere is tilted as far away from the sun as possible."
The winter solstice will take place this year on December 21, at 10:27 p.m. EST. It happens at the same instant across the Earth. The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year. It can fall anywhere from December 20-23, but the 21st and 22nd are the most common dates.

Beginning of winter

Though meteorologists view winter as starting December 1, the start of the coldest three months of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice is the astronomical beginning of winter. After the winter solstice, the time of daylight slowly starts to get longer again. But most parts of the Earth don't have their earliest sunset or latest sunrise on the solstice. Those events occur either weeks before or after December 21.

Coldest day?

It may appear strange, but the year's shortest day is typically not the coldest day of the year. There is a gap between the shortest day of the year and the coldest average temperatures. It can be understood with one example. According to the National Weather Service, the coldest days in Boston are generally January 17-26, in Chicago, it is January 17-20, and in Miami, it is January 2-22. Days begin to start to warm up slowly by the end of January.

FAQs:

What is the winter solstice?
Winter solstice is the exact moment when a hemisphere is tilted as far away from the sun as possible. The winter solstice will take place this year on December 21, at 10:27 p.m. EST. The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year. It can fall anywhere from December 20-23, but the 21st and 22nd are the most common dates.

Is the winter solstice the coldest day of the year?
The winter solstice or the year's shortest day is typically not the coldest day of the year. There is a gap between the shortest day of the year and the coldest average temperatures. It can be understood with one example. According to the National Weather Service, the coldest days in Boston are generally January 17-26, in Chicago, it is January 17-20, and in Miami, it is January 2-22.