The Reason for the Season

At 1:35 EST this afternoon the sun will reach its lowest declination, -23.45°. Winter solstice will have arrived. Pagans rejoice! Are there any Saturnalian festivities taking place? Starting tomorrow, the length of daylight gets longer until next June. It is just a coincidence, but also starting tomorrow we should see warmer weather. Our high temperatures will be several degrees higher tomorrow and reach into the mid-40s by Friday.

The more seasonable weather should continue through the weekend and into next week. Sorry, no white Christmas for the Big Apple, showers are expected on Sunday. Instead, we may see rain. Likewise, Hannukah is expected to get off to a soggy start. And if you are looking ahead to New Year's Eve, AccuWeather is predicting temperatures in the mid-50s. A forecast that far in advance, however, is worth as much as the paper it is printed on.

Last year's winter solstice satellite image from NASA's Earth Observatory