Winter solstice brings Chicago a mere 9 hours, 7 minutes of sunlight Saturday
The winter solstice for 2024 in Chicago arrives Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3:21 a.m. (CST). This marks the shortest day of the year, meaning Chicago will see the least amount of sunlight on this day and the most amount of darkness.
The silver lining is that, starting Dec. 22, the hours of daylight each day will get longer until we reach the summer solstice.
How long will the year's shortest day be in Chicago?
The winter solstice brings just barely over 9 hours of sunlight to the Chicago area – 9 hours, 7 minutes and 44 seconds, to be more precise.
Looking ahead to sunset times in Chicago, since we are gaining more daylight – nearly 2 minutes extra per day by the end of January – this is how 5 p.m. will look like.
During the start of winter, sunset time in Chicago will be at 4:22 p.m. Ringing in the New Year on Jan. 1, sunset time will be just before 4:30 p.m. By March 9, Chicago's sunset time will be at 6:50 p.m. as daylight saving time starts Sunday, March 9 at 2 a.m. (Reminder to adjust your clocks then).
As we start the summer solstice June 20, sunset time will be just before 8:30 p.m.
What is the difference between meteorological winter and astronomical winter?
Meteorological winter is based on the annual temperature cycle. This helps keep better track of weather records.
In contrast, astronomical seasons are based on the earth's position to the sun. This is not ideal for temperature tracking because the days can vary for each season and the start of the season isn't typically on the same calendar day every year.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, which is located at 23.5° south of the equator. The earth's tilt is away from the sun in December from the Northern Hemisphere's perspective.