Is the winter solstice the coldest day of the year?

Weather of Arabia - The phenomenon of the winter solstice comes in the month of December every year to announce the end of the autumn season and the beginning of the winter season with its rainy, cold and snowy weather.

The day on which the winter solstice phenomenon occurs witnesses the shortest hours of the day and the longest hours of the night, and the sun’s rays are at their lowest level. This may open the door to the question, “ Is the day of the winter solstice the coldest day of the year? ”

Is the winter solstice the coldest day of the year?

Well, you may think so at first because the sun’s rays have dropped to their lowest levels, but the matter does not go that quickly and simply. Everything needs time to cool down or heat up, and since the sun’s radiation has decreased, then there is no doubt that this decrease will be followed by another decrease in temperatures, but gradually, As the Earth and oceans take a good time to get rid of the thermal energy they contain and then begin to enter the cooling phase resulting from the lack of solar radiation reaching the Earth.

The land and oceans will see temperatures gradually rise for months or weeks after the cold period ends. As the length of the days increases gradually after the end of the winter period and the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the sun becomes visible for longer periods, but it does not shine with the same intensity as it does in the summer. For example, the sun's illumination period in northern latitudes can be about 9 hours per day in the weeks after the winter solstice, while it is about 15 hours during the summer solstice. In addition, the northern hemisphere faces away from the sun, creating a frozen region.

Read also: Historical landmarks associated with the winter solstice