Burlington, Vermont – Astronomical winter officially began Sunday morning, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to Vermont.
According to the National Weather Service in Burlington, the winter solstice occurred at 10:03 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. The solstice marks the point when the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the sun, resulting in the fewest daylight hours of the year across the Northern Hemisphere.
NWS officials noted that while Sunday marks the darkest day of the year, daylight will begin increasing starting Monday. The gradual lengthening of days will continue through late June, when the summer solstice arrives.
In Burlington, sunrise on the winter solstice occurred at approximately 7:26 a.m., with sunset around 4:15 p.m., yielding just under nine hours of daylight. By comparison, the city experiences more than 15 hours of daylight during the summer solstice.
Astronomical winter differs from meteorological winter, which began Dec. 1 and is used by climatologists to track seasonal weather patterns. Astronomical seasons are based on the Earth’s position relative to the sun, while meteorological seasons align with the calendar for record-keeping and climate statistics.
The solstice does not signal immediate colder weather, but it marks a seasonal milestone often associated with colder temperatures, snow potential, and longer nights across the region.
For commuters, students, and early-morning workers, the coming weeks will still feature dark starts to the day, though afternoon daylight will slowly become more noticeable by January.
The National Weather Service emphasized that increasing daylight does not mean winter conditions are ending, as some of the coldest and snowiest periods of the season typically occur after the solstice.
