Winter Officially Begins Today in the Northern Hemisphere

Winter officially arrived in the Northern Hemisphere today at 4:21 a.m. EST. My fifth-grade students often ask me why the start of a new season doesn't begin at midnight on a certain date, much like the beginning of a new year. The answer has to do with the Earth, the tilt on its axis, and its revolution around the Sun.

I've always maintained that the start of a new season is more of an "event" than watching the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve. That's because New Year's Day is a "man-made" holiday which can arbitrarily occur at any time during a calendar year. An equinox or a solstice, however, marks a precise time when the Sun's rays strike a particular point on the face of the Earth. I try to observe the arrival of a new season, and today is no exception.

As the Earth travels around the Sun in its orbit, the North-South position of the Sun changes over the course of the year due to the changing orientation of the Earth's tilt with respect to the Sun. The dates of maximum tilt of the Earth's equator correspond to the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice, and the dates of zero tilt correspond to the Vernal Equinox and Autumnal Equinox.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice is day of the year when the Sun is farthest South. However, in the Southern Hemisphere, the Winter and Summer Solstices are the opposite, so that the Winter Solstice occurs on the first day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere. The Sun's direct rays will be over the Tropic of Capricorn next Thursday morning.

The Winter Solstice also marks the "shortest day" of the year in terms of daylight. The length of time elapsed between Sunrise and Sunset at the Winter Solstice is at a minimum for the year. Of course, Daylight Saving Time means that the last Sunday in March has 23 hours and the first Sunday in November has 25 hours, but it does not correspond to the actual number of daylight hours.

Finally, the shadows cast by the Sun will be at their longest, since the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky. The actual times of Sunrise and Sunset in southwestern Connecticut for the Solstice are 7:16 a.m. and 4:27 p.m., respectively. Consider that on the first day of Summer in late June, the Sun rises at 5:19 a.m. and sets at 8:30 p.m. So, today's "length of day" is only nine hours and 11 minutes as opposed to 15 hours and 11 minutes exactly a half-year later.

So, as we prepare to welcome Winter, also realize that its arrival marks a turning point. The days will gradually begin to get longer from this point forward until the end of June. Things can only get brighter from here on out.

Paul

Light Snow to Christen Start of Winter Season

Approximately one-half inch of snow is expected across southwestern Connecticut through Saturday at 7 p.m. EST.

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) December 20, 2024 at 3:25 PM

Paul

First Snowstorm of 2009-2010 Winter Season Arrived 15 Years Ago Today

The first major snowstorm of 2009-2010 blasted southwestern Connecticut 15 years ago today, with some local communities receiving close to a foot of snow. Fortunately, the storm arrived late Saturday evening, December 19, 2009, giving most people ample time to prepare well in advance. The highest snow totals were recorded across southeastern Connecticut, while parts of Litchfield County saw nothing more than a trace of snow.

Here is a look at snowfall totals from across the region from December 19 and 20, 2009:

• Darien: 10.5"
• New Canaan: 10.3"
• Milford: 10"
• Bridgeport: 9"
• Fairfield: 9"
• Norwalk: 8"
• Woodbridge: 7.5"

Officially, at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, six inches of snow fell late Saturday, December 19, and 3.2 inches accumulated Sunday, December 20, 2009, for a total of 9.2 inches. The snow happened one day before the Winter Solstice. More than one foot of snow (13.4") was recorded at the airport in December 2009, including two inches on December 9 and just over two inches on New Year's Eve day.

The normal average snowfall for December is 3.6 inches, based on 40 years of averages, or climatology. The snowiest December day on record in southwestern Connecticut happened December 19, 1948, when 16 inches blanketed the region. You may recall that 13 years ago, one foot of snow fell from December 26 through December 27, triggering one of the snowiest periods in recent memory. You may also recall the Winter storm of December 30, 2000, when ten inches fell.

Paul

Snowiest December Day on Record at Bridgeport Happened on This Date in 1948

The snowiest December day on record at Bridgeport happened 76 years ago today. Sixteen inches of snow fell on Sunday, December 19, 1948. It is one of only two days in December with double-digit snowfall. The other was December 30, 2000, when 10 inches fell.

Take a look at the front page of the Naugatuck Daily News from the following morning, Monday, December 20, 1948. Please click the image to enlarge and read the story.

Paul

Winter Weather Advisory for Northern Fairfield and New Haven Counties

A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect for northern Fairfield and New Haven counties Monday from 1 a.m. until 11 a.m. EST: forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.ph...

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) December 15, 2024 at 8:26 AM

Paul

Geminid Meteor Shower to Peak This Weekend

The Geminid meteor showers are at their peak, and astronomers are predicting that the annual event will be one of the most spectacular of the year, with the light show peaking this weekend. Between 100 and 120 meteors are expected every hour, though the Full Cold Moon may make viewing somwhat of a challenge.

The meteor showers will begin after 9 p.m. and are best-viewed at night or during the pre-dawn hours. The meteors should be fairly easily seen from any portion of the night sky, though star gazers should wait for at least an hour to catch a glimpse of the event as the shower will appear in bursts.

The Geminids are a reliable meteor shower, offering perhaps 50 meteors per hour in a dark sky. They are the most prolific meteor showers of the year with rates as high as 120 meteors per hour under perfect conditions. 

However, you'll need to get away from city lights and find a wide open view of the sky. City, state and national parks are good, and you might be able to camp and make a night of it. Simply enjoy the comfort of a reclining lawn chair, the warmth of a sleeping bag, a thermos with a hot drink, and the company of family and friends, if they're willing to stay up and battle the cold!

The Geminids rank as one of the best meteor showers for the year in the Northern Hemisphere. You can also see this shower from the tropical and subtropical regions in the Southern Hemisphere. Farther south, the radiant of the Geminid meteor shower never gets very high in the sky, so the meteors are not as prevalent at temperate southerly latitudes.



This meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Gemini the Twins. If you trace the paths of all the Geminid meteors backward, they appear to radiate from the certain point in front of Gemini. This point is called the meteor shower radiant, and is located near the star Castor.

Most meteor showers take place when our planet Earth crosses the orbital path of a comet. The comet debris plunges into Earth’s upper atmosphere, and the vaporizing particles fill the night with meteors. But the Geminid meteor shower appears to be an oddity. The shower’s parent body appears to be a near-Earth asteroid, rather than a comet. Astronomers have named this object 3200 Phaethon.

Paul

Soaking Rain Expected Across Southwestern Connecticut

Approximately two-and-a-half inches of rain are expected across southwestern Connecticut through Thursday at 1 a.m. EST.

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) December 9, 2024 at 4:40 PM

Paul

Today Marks Earliest Sunset of the Calendar Year

This evening's sunset in Fairfield was at 4:24 p.m. EST, marking the earliest sunset of the year. Why does the earliest sunset happen two weeks before the Winter Solstice? It’s because the Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical shape instead of a circle.

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— Paul Piorek WICC (@paulpiorekwicc.bsky.social) December 7, 2024 at 8:29 PM

Paul

Dreaming of a White Christmas

The Winter Solstice is two weeks away, and Christmas is just 19 days from now. Not surprisingly, many people have asked me about the odds of seeing a "White Christmas." Light snow is in the forecast Saturday night into Sunday, but little more than a trace of snow is expected to fall.

So, what are the chances of snow by Christmas? Here in southwestern Connecticut, weather records have been kept for a long time. Our climatology is based on record-keeping over a 40-year period. 

Based on history, shoreline communities such as Stamford, Darien, Stratford, and Milford have a 30% chance of seeing at least one inch of snow on the ground by December 25. There's a 10% chance of at least five inches of snow on the ground by then. However, we have a zero percent probability of having ten inches of snow or more on our front lawns by Christmas morning.

Inland, the odds are more favorable. People living north of the Merritt or Wilbur Cross parkways have a 57% chance of at least one inch of snow for Christmas. The odds are slightly lower than one-in-four (23%) for five inches of snow, and quite slim (3%) for at least ten inches of snow. However, residents in Wilton, Redding, Easton, and Woodbridge have a much better opportunity of seeing snow on the ground than their shoreline counterparts.

As far as the rest of New England is concerned, the chance of a white Christmas gets even better. Northern Connecticut and southern Massachusetts have about a 40 to 60% chance of at least one inch of snow; central New England's chances improve to 60 to 80 percent; and northern New England (80 to 100%) is virtually assured of having a White Christmas.

One of the more memorable snowstorms which occurred in late December was the Christmas Eve storm of 1966. We received over a half-foot of snow (6.9"), making roads quite slippery and travel very difficult. I distinctly remember my family on our way to visit my grandmother in the snow, but my parents deciding the drive wasn't worth the risk. We turned around and headed for home, but the car slid several times on the snowy roadways.

You may recall the snowstorm which delivered more than nine inches of snow to southwestern Connecticut the weekend of December 19 and 20, 2009. The snow began late Saturday evening, and six inches had accumulated by midnight. The snow tapered off early Sunday morning, but not before another 3.2 inches caused headaches for holiday shoppers the last weekend before Christmas.

Another recent snow occurred on Christmas Day, 2002. Some light snow happened early that morning, but a steadier and heavier snow developed by later in the afternoon and evening. The snow totals were quite impressive locally. Darien received 10 inches of snow by the time the storm exited the following day. Redding (9.5"), New Canaan (9.2"), Norwalk (7.0"), Greenwich (7.0"), and Westport (6.5") each saw at least a half-foot of snow!

On the flip side, I'm sure you recall December of  2006. The afternoon high temperatures from December 23 to 26 reached 58, 52, 44, and 50 degrees respectively, well above the 38-degree normal high. Over an inch of rain fell December 23 (1.15") and over a quarter-inch (0.28") was recorded on Christmas Day. We were left dreaming of snow for quite some time.

Paul

November Warmer and Drier Than Normal Across Southwestern Connecticut

Not surprisingly, the month of November was warmer and drier than normal across southwestern Connecticut.

The Bridgeport climate station recorded 2.90" of precipitation for November, which is 0.21" below normal. Eight of the 30 days (26%) featured measured precipitation.

The greatest 24 hour precipitation was 1.54" (November 21 & 22), while the most single day precipitation of 1.25" was recorded November 21.

The average monthly temperature for November was 49.5 degrees F, which is 3.5 degrees warmer-than-normal. The range was 81 degrees (November 1) and 30 degrees (November 30).

Only nine of the 31 days featured a below-average temperature, while 20 days were warmer-than-normal.

Paul