As the transition from autumn to winter continues, Chicagoans are facing the start of what is typically this city’s darkest time of the year. As the Dec. 21 winter solstice approaches, the later sunrises and earlier sunsets take their seasonal toll, eating away at the amount of available daylight. Compounding the effect of the decrease in daylight is the sharp increase in cloudiness that is so typical of November and December. These two months are typically the city’s cloudiest, and more often than not sharply restrict the already diminished amount of sunshine that is available.
Sources: Frank Wachowski, National Weather Service archives
WGN-TV/Steve Kahn
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
