Winter solstice to kick off on Thursday across Australia as temperatures drop

Australians have woken up to the shortest day of the year, with the country set to experience less than 10 hours of sunlight amid freezing temperatures.

Australians have woken up to the shortest day of the year, with less than 10 hours of sunlight expected today amid freezing temperatures throughout the week.

The winter solstice will occur this Thursday, marking the day with the shortest amount of sunlight and the longest night of the year.

It is measured by the day that the Earth’s South Pole tilts the furthest away from the sun, bringing with it plenty of night time and limited time in the sun.

The date changes slightly each year, but the winter solstice occurs between June 21-23 and the summer solstice ocurrs between December 21-23. Photo: Bureau of Meteorology

The shortest day of the year is approaching, with Australia to experience less than 10 hours of sunlight and shiver through freezing temperatures this week. Picture: Bureau of Meteorology

The good news is that from here, the days will continue to get longer until we reach the summer solstice in December.

Each city and town across Australia will experience a different amount of daylight, with the length of time spent in the sunshine dependent on your latitude.

Those keen on watching the sunrise can sleep in a bit more on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard

The closer you get to the South Pole, the fewer hours spent in the sun each day throughout winter.

Sunrise times:

• Sydney: 7:00am
• Melbourne: 7:35am
• Brisbane: 6:37am
• Adelaide: 7:23am
• Perth: 7:16am
• Hobart: 7:42am
• Canberra: 7:12am

Sunset times:

• Sydney: 4:54pm
• Melbourne: 5:08pm
• Brisbane: 5:01pm
• Adelaide: 5:11pm
• Perth: 5:20pm
• Hobart: 4:43pm
• Canberra: 4:58pm

The solstice is generally not the coldest day of the year despite the short time spent in the sun.

However, many Australians are set to shiver on Wednesday and Thursday in the lead up to the shortest day.

Already freezing temperatures will be followed by rain sweeping across the country this week. Picture: BOM

A cold front from the beginning of the week has brought in the freezing temperatures to the south east of the country, according to Sky News Meteorologist Alison Osborne.

“Another cold front, the second in two days, brings another burst of cold, wet and windy weather and heralds a significant cold outbreak for many,” she said.

She said Wednesday is looking to be “by far the coldest” day for NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Tasmania.

On Thursday, Sydney will see a high chance of showers in the afternoon.

The CBD will reach a low of 7C degrees and a high of 17C while the western parts of the city could reach as low as 0C degrees with similar maximums.

Friday will see moderate rain on the south and south east coast. Picture: Sky News Weather

Melbourne is also set for a wet Thursday with a very high chance of showers and a low of 6C degrees and a high of 13.

Those in Brisbane will be a little bit warmer than their southern neighbours but not by much with a minimum of 9C degrees and a max of 22C.

Chilly as always, Canberra is set to see temperatures dip to 0C on Thursday, but that’s warmer than the -4 minimum on Wednesday.