Dear Tom,
When will the sun will be directly overhead in Burlington, Wisc.?
Roman Grueter
Burlington,Wisc.,
Dear Roman,
Because Burlington lies north of the Tropic of Cancer nearly 43(degrees) north of the equator, the sun’s most direct rays will never be directly (90(degrees)) overhead. Like Chicago, as well as any other location north of the tropics, the highest elevation of the noon sun occurs around the summer solstice, which falls on June 20 this year. On that day, the noon sun (1 p.m. CDT) at Burlington will climb to 70.7(degrees) above the horizon bringing 15 hours and 20 minutes of daylight. In the weeks and months that follow, the sun’s highest daily angle will gradually decline until the Dec. 21 winter solstice, when it will peak at only 23.9(degrees) above the horizon. That day, the shortest of the year, will provide 9 hours and 3 minutes of possible daylight.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Place, Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
