When is the winter solstice?

If you want to be specific, this year’s winter solstice occurs this Saturday, December 21st at 4:21 a.m. EST.

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice is the time when the sun’s most direct rays shine furthest south on Earth, directly above the Tropic of Capricorn. This is when the northern hemisphere is tilted furthest away from the sun.

The day of the winter solstice has the fewest daylight hours and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere the situation is reversed. Shortly after the winter solstice, the number of daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere increases with each passing day until the summer solstice in late June, when most daylight hours occur.

What will the weather be like this year?

Given all the temperature changes we’ve already experienced this month, you may be wondering whether it will feel like winter on the day of the winter solstice this year. According to Jonathan Erdman, senior meteorologist at Weather.com, here’s what you can expect: “Much of the plains to the south and east will ‘feel like winter’ as the solstice arrives tomorrow.” But the afternoon won’t feel very “wintry” in the West.” In Denver, Erdman said, there will be an unseasonably warm high of over 60 degrees on Saturday.

The winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and is celebrated with great celebrations in many places. Check out this video to see six destinations where you can join in the festivities.

Around the world, different people have different ways and traditions of celebrating the darkest day. While it is dark, the day also marks the “return of the sun,” and many celebrate the day as a symbolic time of rebirth or a time to celebrate the light. From a warm feast with friends to sitting around a campfire for reflection or singing, the day offers an opportunity for reflection, community and renewal.

How a tilted earth gives us our seasons

Viewed from space, the Earth is not oriented so that a line passing through the planet’s poles is vertical. Rather, the Earth has a tilt of about 23.5 degrees from the vertical axis. Because of this tilt, the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are tilted either toward or away from the Sun at different times of the year as the Earth orbits its nearest star.

As a result, most direct sunlight shifts between a band of latitude throughout the year, particularly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, causing a change in seasons in the middle and higher latitudes.

This section originally appeared in today’s Morning Brief newsletter. Register here to receive weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

Senior writer Chris DeWeese edited Morning letterthe Weather Channel’s weekly newsletter.