Winter solstice: Why today is the best day of winter

It may feel like we’re in the depths of winter but after today, we’ll begin the slow march back toward the long sunny Queensland days. Here’s what we’ve got to look forward to.

Tanya French

@Tanya_Westthorp

2 min read

June 21, 2022 - 12:00AM

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It may feel like we’re in the depths of winter but after today, we’ll begin a slow march back toward the long, sunny warm days Queensland is so well known for.

But be prepared for today to be exceptionally short, it’s the winter solstice - heralding the shortest day of the year.

The sun will rise in Brisbane at a very late 6.37am and set at the very early time of 5.01pm today, giving us only 10 hours and 24 minutes of sunlight.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHAT WE’VE GOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO

From tomorrow, we’ll begin to get more time in the evenings with the sun setting a few minutes later every couple of days.

By the end of July, we will have gained an extra 24 minutes of daylight.

Mooloolaba Surf Club board riders make the most of the winter solstice by hitting the water at sunrise. Picture Lachie Millard

However, it’ll be tough rising out of bed for the next month or so with the sun not creeping above the horizon until after 6.30am.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Harry Clark said while the days would become longer, we wouldn’t be out of the woods for cold snaps just yet.

“While yes, it is the shortest day of the year, ocean temperatures lag behind land temperatures by a couple of months, so the oceans will continue to cool and we’ll likely get cold snaps right through to August-September,” he said.

Boardrider Quentin Poulsen at sunrise - the sun will continue to rise around 6.30am for the next month. Picture Lachie Millard

He said southeast Queensland could expect cooler days and warmer nights for the rest of winter with high likelihood of below average maximum daytime temperatures along with above average rainfall.

The extra cloud cover will trap the heat in the atmosphere meaning the nights are likely to be warmer than average.

Here’s what we’ve got to look forward to:

— On July 16, the sun will start rising earlier — with the sun up from 6.36am and 10 hours, 34 minutes of daylight

— By September 3, sunrise will be 5.59am and sunset at 5.35pm

— There’ll be more than 12 hours of daylight by September 19 when the sun rises at 5.41am and sets at 5.42pm

— By October 28, the birds will be chirping by 5am and the sun will go down at 6.03pm giving us 13 beautiful hours of daylight

— The sun will rise the earliest all year on November 28 (and stay that way for a couple of weeks) when it wakes us at 4.44am

— Winter will seem like a distant memory by the time the longest day of the year rolls around on December 22 when the sun rises at 4.49am and sets at 6.42pm - giving us nearly 14 glorious hours of daylight.