Many people are curious as to when the winter season will officially start because the Chicago area had significant snowfall over the weekend.
The length of the answer may surprise some.
October 31 is usually when Chicago gets its first snowfall, and this year was no exception, with the city recording 0.9 inches of snowfall on Halloween.
Based on statistics from 1991 to 2020, the first snowfall of one inch or more usually occurs in the city on December 7. This year, on November 26, the NBC 5 Storm Team reported that the area received just under 2 inches of snow.
But winter’s true arrival is still far off, even with the early snowfall.
NASA reports that this year’s winter solstice will occur in the early hours of December 21 in the United States. With about nine hours, seven minutes, and forty-four seconds of daylight, that day will likewise be the shortest of the year in Chicago.
Early December will actually see the earliest sunset of the year, with the sun setting at 4:19 p.m. on a few days, according to government sources.
Even though the days are officially getting longer, the latest sunrise of the season will occur on a few days in early January when the sun rises at 7:18 a.m.
The good news is that Illinois will experience over 10 hours of daylight again by the end of January, with sunset occurring after 5 p.m., though it will take some time for obvious changes to the length of the days to occur.