Winter is nearly here. Here’s how soon California will see more daylight
The shortest day of the year is almost here.
Nights are growing colder and darker in California as the winter solstice approaches.
The sun now sets before 5 p.m. and doesn’t rise until 14 hours later, around 7 a.m.
The winter solstice marks the beginning of the new season and the longest night of the year, when the state experiences the fewest hours of sunlight during the day.
When is the solstice this year? And when will Californians start seeing more sunlight?
Here’s what to know about the return of winter.
When does winter officially start in 2025?
The winter solstice takes place annually in the Northern Hemisphere on either Dec. 20, 21, 22 or 23, depending on the year, according to online calendar Time and Date.
In 2025, the first day of winter falls on Sunday, Dec. 21.
The winter solstice landed on Dec. 21 in 2024 and will also fall on the same date next year.
The next Dec. 20 solstice isn’t until 2080 and a Dec. 23 solstice won’t occur until 2303, Time and Date said.
What is the winter solstice?
The winter solstice takes place when half of Earth is pointed away from the sun, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
“We often think of the winter solstice as an event that spans an entire calendar day, but the solstice actually lasts only a moment,” the Old Farmer’s Almanac said. “Specifically, it’s the exact moment when a hemisphere is tilted as far away from the sun as possible.”
On the solstice, the sun’s path is as low as possible across the sky, resulting in less sunlight that any other day of the year.
Californians can observe the solstice by walking outside around noon and taking a glance at your shadow, the Almanac said.
On the winter solstice, you’ll cast the longest shadow of the year due to the sun’s tilt.
During the solstice, the Northern Hemisphere plunges into darkness and typically has cooler temperatures because of the lack of direct sunlight, NASA said in a blog post.
When winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the start of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
What are sunrise and sunset times once winter begins?
On Sunday, Dec. 21 — the winter solstice — sunrise will occur at 7:20 a.m. and sunset will be at 4:48 p.m., according to Time and Date.
On the shortest day of the year, Californians will only experience nine hours, 28 minutes and 12 seconds of sunlight.
When will California see more daylight?
The days will begin to get progressively longer following the winter solstice.
California gains three seconds of daylight the day after the winter solstice, according to Time and Date.
By the end of December, the state will have gained an additional 3 minutes and 22 seconds of daylight.
By Saturday, Jan. 31, the days will be 46 minutes and 40 seconds longer.
By the time the vernal equinox occurs, people in the Northern Hemisphere will have gained two hours and 40 minutes and 44 seconds of sunlight, according to Time and Date.
When is the spring equinox in 2026?
In 2026, the vernal equinox — the first day of spring — will fall on Friday, March 20, in 2026.
On the spring equinox, the sun “crosses the celestial equator” and we experience equal hours of daylight verses nighttime, according to Time and Date.
The sun will rise at 7:09 a.m. on the spring equinox and set at 7:18 p.m., according to Time and Date, which will equal 12 hours, eight minutes and 56 seconds of sunlight.
