Happy Winter Solstice
Anthony Colby
Happy Winter Solstice
This year the winter solstice hits where I live at 6:03 PM Eastern Standard time which is five hours behind you folks in Ireland which is the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere.
The sun appears directly overhead along the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere while it does not get very high in the sky in the north. This is caused by the Earth's axis or tilt. This tilt is the reason we have seasons. The Earth is tilted so that in a hemispheres summer the rays of the sun strike the Earth more directly and in the winter they are at a greater angle. More direct sunlight means more heat so you get summer and the opposite means you get winter. Simple.
So historically the Winter Solstice was a time of renewal in some cultures. The sun was ending it's shortening of days and staying in the sky longer. It also was a time of feasting as many livestock were killed to prevent having to feed them through the lean times of the winter that was to follow as well as the time that beer in wine that had been brewed this year had become fermented.
So why when the days are getting longer does the weather get colder? Good question. Well the Northern Hemisphere continues to lose more heat than it gains until mid January or so. The oceans also continue to be cool as they take much longer to heat up than the atmosphere. The cooling the oceans have seen due to shorter days continues until much more sunlight hits them and they begin to warm.
Not until the hemisphere receives much more solar energy than it loses does the temperature start to rise.
So whether you like winter or not today is day one for us in the north. For fans of winter sports this is your time of year. For those who like it warm, well you have a couple more months of cool weather but the days are getting longer.
So Happy Winter Solstice to all.
Thanks for reading.
Anthony Colby
Comments
my vote 🙂
Windy start to Winter it is too here.
It started early here. We have had quite a bit of snow already.
No snow here, quite warm too about 12 deg Cel.(55F) But it is the start of winter, Jan/Feb are the harshest months, not long and March always manages to produce sunny days that promise of summer 🙂
It never got above 20 F here today. It has been cold as well as snowy this year so far.
What I love about this day is realising days won't get any shorter \o/
No but the nights will....just can't win...😃
I prefer beaches and sun over the night 😛
I blame global warming. Or not.
Wish it would hurry up...I want to grow grapes 🙂
You never know. With the climate change you could get the short end of the stick and it will be colder where you are. Northern Europe and Northeaster US are to get colder as we will lose the gulf stream.
As dePatrick said...warm here 12deg
Never really went below 0 last winter, tender annual flowers kept blooming right through winter and on into summer again...!
lol Lucky you. We had freezing temps back in October. We will still have them in April.
Something kinda romantic about having lots of snow though....Find it very hard to see anything romantic about damp grey rainy days 😃
So very true.
Ah winter. I still love the end of fall the most. Cool but not cold. It's honestly been feeling pretty great down here in the south.
Nice article Anthony, you're one of the few writers worth reading here lately.
Thank you very much.