Happy 2nd day of Winter.....

image from clipart-library.com 

Good morning, we have a partly cloudy sky so the sun will help warm us up.  High today of 40F(4C) Looks like the next 7 days we are without bad weather, just warming up. That will be a relief for sure.  Stay warm, stay safe.
 
Australia family and friends are to have 69F(20C) for Tuesday Dec 23rd.   For us that would be nice day, but looking at the weather the humidity is 89% and dew point is at 49F(9C) So I will have to ask them if I am correct, but it is going to feel warm with the humidity.  That is their summer.  They had rain on Sunday I will share “Beautiful soaking rain for us today.  Temperature has dropped too.  On with the wind cheaters and heater.”  Stay cool, stay safe. 
 
I am so glad we had the First Day of Winter on Sunday.  Now the days will get longer.  Spring will come.  Just a side note.  Australia for their seasons go by the Meteorological seasons which are based on the annual temperature cycle and climatological patterns observed on Earth.  That is why their first day of Summer is Dec 1st. 
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When is the Winter Solstice, and What Is it All About? Written By:  Catherine Boeckmann
When is the first day of winter? In 2025, the winter solstice date is Sunday, December 21. The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which occurs on Sunday, December 21, 2025, at 10:03 A.M.
For the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs every year between December 20 through 23, most often on December 20 or 21. (The Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs in June.)
The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight throughout the year, making it the shortest day of the year. Thankfully, after we reach the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and longer again until we reach the summer solstice—the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.
Think of it this way: Although the winter solstice means the start of winter, it also means the return of more sunlight. It only gets brighter from here!
What Happens on the Winter Solstice?
On the day of the winter solstice, we are tilted as far away from the Sun as possible, which means that the Sun’s path across the sky is as low in the sky as it can be. Think about the daily path of the Sun: It rises in the east and sets in the west, arcing across the sky overhead. During the summer, the Sun arcs high in the sky, but during the winter, it arcs lower, closer to the horizon.
How can we observe the effects of solstice ourselves? On the solstice day, stand outside at noon and look at your shadow. It’s the longest shadow that you’ll cast all year! Do this again on the day of the summer solstice, and you’ll see almost no shadow.
Is the Winter Solstice really the start of winter?
There is not a black-and-white answer to this question—it depends on which definition of winter you follow: 
Astronomical winter begins at the winter solstice and ends at the spring equinox. Astronomical seasons are based on the position of Earth in relation to the Sun.
Meteorological winter (in the Northern Hemisphere) starts on December 1 and ends on February 28 (or 29). Meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle and climatological patterns observed on Earth.
Because an almanac is traditionally defined as a calendar of the heavens, we at The Old Farmer’s Almanac follow the astronomical definition of the seasons, which states that each of the four seasons starts on a solstice or equinox.
However, that doesn’t mean that the meteorological definition is incorrect. It is important for meteorologists to be able to compare climatological statistics for a particular season from 1 year to the next—for agriculture, commerce, and a variety of other purposes. Thus, meteorologists break the seasons down into groupings of three months. Meteorological winter starts on December 1 and includes December, January, and February.
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365  Beckysgreenhouse.com  Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse