Ready for more daylight in the evening? Here’s when IL will start seeing longer days
If you’re growing weary of commuting in the dark, there’s just about a month left until Illinois residents start gaining daylight each day.
Daylight saving time ended in early November, and Illinois residents will see sunsets as early as 4:39 p.m. this month.
After a relatively warm autumn in the metro-east, meteorological winter begins Monday, Dec. 1, while the winter solstice will mark the beginning of astronomical winter. The solstice will occur at 9:03 a.m. Central Standard Time Sunday, Dec. 21, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, and it’s referred to as the “shortest” day of the year as it has the fewest daylight hours.
Here’s what to know about the winter solstice and when metro-east and St. Louis residents can expect to see later sunsets and more hours of daylight.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice is the day with the shortest amount of time between sunrise and sunset and the day the sun is lowest in the sky at solar noon, NASA reports. Solstices happen twice each year, once in late December and another in June.
“The word solstice comes from the Latin sol (“sun”) and sistere (“to stand still),” the Old Farmer’s Almanac reports. “So, loosely translated, it means “sun stands still.” Why? The Sun’s path across the sky appears to freeze for a few days before and after the solstice.”
The next summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere will be June 21, 2026. Like the winter solstice, it marks the first day of the astronomical season.
When will the sun set later in Belleville?
The sun will begin to set later in mid-December. Here’s how sunrise and sunset times will change in Belleville from December to January, according to global online clock Time and Date:
- Monday, Dec. 15: 7:10 a.m. sunrise, 4:40 p.m. sunset
- Sunday, Dec. 21 (winter solstice): 7:13 a.m. sunrise, 4:42 p.m. sunset
- Sunday, Dec. 28: 7:16 a.m. sunrise, 4:46 p.m. sunset
- Sunday, Jan. 4: 7:17 a.m. sunrise, 4:50 p.m. sunset
- Sunday, Jan. 11: 7:17 a.m. sunrise, 4:59 p.m. sunset
- Sunday, Jan. 25: 7:10 a.m. sunrise, 5:14 p.m. sunset
By Sunday, Feb. 8, the sun will set at 5:30 p.m. or later daily, and March will bring sunsets after 7 p.m. Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 8.
What will the weather be like this winter?
The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center reports metro-east residents have a 33 to 40% chance of seeing above-normal temperatures from November through January, with equal chances of above- or below-normal precipitation.
The popular Farmers’ Almanac, which is shutting down soon, predicts very cold and snowy conditions in southwestern Illinois this winter. The Farmers’ Almanac is a separate publication from the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which predicts a cold, dry winter in southern Illinois.
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