Saturday is the shortest day of the year. How much daylight will the middle of the Hudson Valley see?

Although New York has already seen its first few snowy days and chilly temperatures of the season, it technically won’t be winter until the winter solstice on Saturday.

December 21 is the shortest day of the year, which will have less than 10 hours of daylight.

Here’s when winter officially starts and what you need to know about the December solstice.

When is the first day of winter?

The first day of winter is Saturday 21 December and heralds the longest night of the year.

How long is the day on December 21 in Mid-Hudson Valley?

Poughkeepsie’s sunrise on Dec. 21 is at 7:19 a.m. with sunset at 4:28 p.m., according to timeanddate.com. That’s nine hours, eight minutes and 55 seconds.

Middletown’s sunrise on December 21st is at 7.20 with sunset at 16.31, timeanddate.com says, which means daylight lasts nine hours, 10 minutes and 33 seconds.

Kingston’s sunrise on December 21 is at 7:20 a.m. with sunset at 4:28 p.m., according to timeanddate.com. That’s nine hours, seven minutes and 25 seconds.

More: How much snow will the Hudson Valley see this winter? Outlook for winter weather 2024-25

What happens at the winter solstice?

The reason we have seasonal weather is because the Earth is tilted on its axis 23.5 degrees. As our planet orbits the sun, the direction of the axis does not change. On the 21st-22nd December, the northern hemisphere leans furthest away from the sun’s warm rays, which we call the winter solstice.

Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, the sun has reached its highest point in the midday sky in Tropic of Capricorn. This means that while the US has three months of winter, it is summer time in places like Australia and Brazil.

What does solstice mean?

Solstice is a combination of the Latin words sunmeaning “sun”, and sister means “to stop,” according to Old farmer’s almanac. It is derived from the Latin word solstice. Or put another way: solstice means “the sun stands still”.

NOAA Winter Outlook for New York

• The National Weather Service predicts a 43% chance of above-normal temperatures in the mid-Hudson Valley in December, January and February. Normal temperature in the region is 37 degrees.

• NWS three months view map shows that the majority of New York has an equal chance of seeing normal rainfall amounts. The local NWS office expects the mid-Hudson Valley’s high regions, such as western Ulster County and western Orange County, to have above average snowfall this winter.

More: How much snow will the Hudson Valley see this winter? Outlook for winter weather 2024-25

When does winter end?

Winter lasts from Saturday 21 December 2024 in the Northern Hemisphere until Thursday 20 March 2025when the vernal equinox will mark the beginning of spring.

What are the dates of the four seasons in 2025?

• Spring: March 20, 2025 (vernal equinox)

• Summer: June 20, 2025 (summer solstice)

• Fall: September 22, 2025 (autumnal equinox)

• Winter: 21 December 2025 (winter solstice)

New York Connect Team reporter Victoria Freile and USA TODAY reporter John Tufts contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared in the Poughkeepsie Journal: When is the winter solstice? How much daylight will the middle of the Hudson Valley see?