The shadows fall long at this time of the year. Photo / Michael Craig
The shadows fall long at this time of the year. Photo / Michael Craig
It's the shortest day of the year today. But the light is coming.
Tomorrow,you'll get a whole extra second of it - two if you live in southern New Zealand.
By the end of the month, that extra daylight will be measured in minutesdepending on what part of New Zealandyou call home.
The arrival of the winter solstice at 9.43am todaymarks the point from which New Zealand and the rest of the southern hemisphere begins receiving more daylight as the sun's angle in the sky begins to increase.
But although there's increasing time in the day - even a blink-and-you-miss-it second - leave those jandals at the door for now.
Morning shadows in central Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig
The coldest weather of the year tends to come in the months after solstice - July and August. "Despite the increased sunlight from today our temperatures are more aligned with the temperatures of the surrounding oceans," Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said. "We still have a couple of months of winter."
Ocean temperatures around New Zealand don't bottom out until August or September, he said.
But for today that means rain or showers for much of the North Island, but dry for most of the South Island.
The wet weather continues in the east of the North Island tomorrow, along with some showers in Northland. The South Island will be fine and cool, with a frosty start in the deep south.
Daylight today will reach just over nine hours and 37 minutes in Auckland, 9h 11m in Wellington, 8h 56m in Christchurch and 8h 35m in Invercargill.
Winter solstice occurs today at 9.43am. This file photo shows the star compass, Atea a Rangi, at Waitangi, near Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor
Kerikeri, in the Far North, can expect 9h 46m, and the Auckland Islands - 485km south of Bluff - will get 7h 57m.
At New Zealand's Scott Base in Antarctica there will be no daylight at all.
But then, slowly, comes the light.
An extra second in Auckland, a second-and-a-half in Wellington, two in Invercargill, tomorrow.
"The longer days will become more noticeable by the beginning of August when day length will be 40 to 60 minutes longer, depending on your location."
By summer solstice - December 22 - we'll be enjoying some seriously long hours of daylight.
Auckland can expect a relatively modest 14h 41m, compared to Wellington's 15h 10m, Christchurch's 15h 26m and Invercargill's 15h 49m. Of course, Scott Base smashes it out of the park, with 24 hours of daylight.
