On winter solstice, Philadelphia to get less than 9 and a half hours of daylight
The Delaware Valley has already had a taste of some bitterly cold winter temperatures, but the chilliest season of them all officially begins on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Also known as the winter solstice, the first day of meteorological winter is also the darkest day of the year.
So how much sunlight will the Philadelphia area get on Friday and Saturday? A measly nine hours, 19 minutes and 59 seconds.
Compared to the summer solstice, that's five hours and 41 minutes less daylight than we'll get in June.
The winter solstice officially begins at 4:20 a.m. in the region, and Old Man Winter is kicking off the season with a frigid weekend and extended blast of cold for the following week.
On Saturday, highs will only be around 35 degrees with mostly sunny skies.
Then on Sunday, temperatures really take a nose dive into the teens and 20s. The high temperature isn't forecast to make it above freezing, so if you're heading out, dress for temps in the 20s.
But here's the good news: After Saturday, the days will start to get just a little bit longer as the calendar flips toward spring and summer.