Winter Solstice is
Saturday, December 21, 2013

First day of Winter this year is Saturday, December 21. The official time of the Winter Solstice (the moment when the Sun is positioned at its furthest southern position from the Earth's equator) is 12:11 pm CST or 11:11 am MST (1711z 12/21) Saturday. During the day of the Winter Solstice, locations on the north side of the equator see their shortest amount of sunlight for the year. Points on the Earth's surface south of the equator see their most minutes of sunlight for the year.

The Winter Solstice will vary from year to year, occuring either on December 21 or December 22. Western and North Central Nebraska can experience a wide range of weather for the first day of winter. Below are the records for North Platte and Valentine for the potential first day of winter.

North Platte Records
Record December 21 December 22
High 67/1933 69/1933
Low -29/1989, 1983 -34/1989, 1983
Lowest Max -9/1983 -7/1989, 1983
Highest Min 37/1885 40/1885
Precip 1.99"/1877 0.61"/1877
Snow 7.8"/1968 3.9"/1966

Valentine Records
Record December 21 December 22
High 65/1933 70/1933
Low -35/1989 -39/1989
Lowest Max -13/1989 -6/1983
Highest Min 38/1900 42/1933
Precip 0.53"/1920 0.17"/1952
Snow 7.5"/1920 2.3"/1944

Page composition
by Matt Masek
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