SEATTLE — Eight hours, 25 minutes, 25 seconds — that’s how much daylight Mother Nature will grace us with today (how generous of her).
Today marks the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. At 7:27 p.m. in Seattle, the northern hemisphere will be tilted at about 23 degrees, or as far away from the sun as possible, according to the National Weather Service.
Today’s apparent heliophobia also marks the first day of winter, although Seattle has not been a stranger to wintry weather so far this month.
After today’s eight hours and some change of daylight slip away from us, Earth’s tilt will then nudge the northern hemisphere back toward longer days. The following days will only yield mere seconds of additional daylight, but by the summer solstice on June 20, Seattle will have 15 hours, 59 minutes and 18 seconds of daylight, according to Time and Date.
But, for now, the sun will set before 4:30 p.m. for the rest of December in Washington.
The shortest day of the year will begin shrouded in dense fog across the Seattle area. Conditions will then remain dry and “generally fair” as high pressure hangs out overhead, according to Steve Reedy, a meteorologist with the weather service in Seattle.
Then, winter’s signature duo of lowland rain and mountain snow will greet us on Friday.
Up to 1 1/2 inches of rain is expected in the lowlands on Friday, while up to 0.75 inches may fall along the coast, the weather service said.
Meanwhile, snow levels will rapidly fall below pass elevation in the mountains by Friday afternoon, turning precipitation white and fluffy. If you plan to travel across the state on Friday, make sure to check weather conditions before leaving, the weather service advised.
The weather service expects roughly 3 inches of snow to fall at Snoqualmie Pass, and up to 6 inches at Stevens Pass.
Showers will linger into Saturday, especially in the mountains, before relatively dry conditions prevail.
“Saturday should be nice for the most part,” Reedy said, before conditions turn rainy again on Christmas Eve.
