Today marks the first official day of winter. From here on out, daylight only gets longer and longer with each passing day. And for the first day of winter, today is sure feeling more like fall. With highs today in the low-mid 40s and mostly sunny conditions, and more of the same on tap for tomorrow, this weekend is the nicest we have had in weeks. It may also be the nicest we will get for months. If there was ever a time to get outside, this weekend is definitely it.

The Winter Solstice marks the day that the most direct sunlight hitting Earth is at its southernmost point. For the next six months, the most direct rays from he sun will slowly move northwards, crossing the equator on the Spring Equinox (March 19th), and reaching its northern peak on the Summer Solstice (June 20th). 

The graph below depicts the length of day and night throughout the entire year for our area. The green lines mark daylight savings.

Graph based on times for Austin, Mn. Courtesy: timeanddate.com 

For the limited amount of sunlight we will get on Sunday, temperatures will still be able to peak in the mid to upper 40s. Around 20 degrees above normal for this time of year! (Normal high for Dec 22 in our area is 25 degrees).