Tired of driving home in the dark? Here’s when Illinois will start getting more daylight

Meredith Howard
·3 min read
3

Belleville residents will soon be able to enjoy longer days as this year’s winter solstice approaches.

The winter solstice marks the beginning of the season and will occur at 9:27 p.m. Central Standard Time Thursday, Dec. 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. Thursday will have the shortest amount of daylight of any day this year.

Here’s what to know about the winter solstice and when metro-east and St. Louis residents can expect to see later sunsets.

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice is the day with the shortest amount of time between sunrise and sunset and the day when the sun is at the lowest in the sky at solar noon, NASA reports. Solstices happen twice each year, once in late December and another in June.

“The term ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin words sol (Sun) and sistere (to stand still). At the solstice, the angle between the Sun’s rays and the plane of the Earth’s equator (called declination) appears to stand still,” the Farmers’ Almanac says.

The next summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere will be June 20, 2024, the Farmers’ Almanac reports, and like the winter solstice, it marks the first day of the season.

When will the sun set later in Belleville?

The sun will begin to set later after the winter solstice. Here’s how sunrise and sunset times will change from December to January, according to global online clock Time and Date:

  • Dec. 21 (winter solstice): 7:13 a.m. sunrise, 4:42 p.m. sunset

  • Dec. 28: 7:16 a.m. sunrise, 4:46 p.m. sunset

  • Jan. 4: 7:17 a.m. sunrise, 4:51 p.m. sunset

  • Jan. 11: 7:17 a.m. sunrise, 4:58 p.m. sunset

  • Jan. 18: 7:14 a.m. sunrise, 5:05 p.m. sunset

  • Jan. 25: 7:11 a.m. sunrise, 5:15 p.m. sunset

By mid-February, the sun will set past 5:30 p.m. each day, and March will bring sunsets after 7 p.m. when Daylight Saving Time begins March 10.

What will the weather be like this winter solstice?

Although the beginning of winter and seasonal holidays are coming soon, the weather isn’t forecast to be particularly festive.

Thursday will be mostly cloudy with a high near 55 degrees Fahrenheit in Belleville, the National Weather Service St. Louis office reports as of Monday.

Belleville residents have seen several days with above-average temperatures recently. The city’s average high temperature in December is 46.3 degrees, the NWS reports, while the typical low is 28.3 degrees.

It’s not very likely the region will see a white Christmas this year — the historical probability is 11% to 25%, according to NWS data from 1981 to 2010.