Enjoying long days? Here’s how fast Illinois will lose daylight following summer solstice

Summer is underway in southwestern Illinois, and the days will now become shorter in the region and across the hemisphere.

This year’s summer solstice took place June 20, the longest day of 2024 , according to astronomy publication Space.com.

The summer solstice is when the sun travels its “northernmost path,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. While this signifies the astronomical beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

While the metro-east has seen rainfall from Hurricane Beryl bring a few cooler days recently, the National Weather Service St. Louis office forecasts summertime heat will return soon.

Now the summer solstice has passed, the days will get progressively shorter until the winter solstice in late December. Here’s how sunrise and sunset times will compare in the coming months.

How quickly will the days shorten in Belleville?

The “shortest” day of the year , or the day with the least amount of daylight, will be the winter solstice Dec. 21, according to the Old Farmers’ Almanac.

The days will gradually shorten throughout the summer and fall. Here are some projected sunrise and sunset times for various dates in Belleville, from global online clock Time and Date:

• July 15: 5:48 a.m. sunrise, 8:23 p.m. sunset

• July 31: 6:01 a.m. sunrise, 8:10 p.m. sunset

• Aug. 15: 6:14 a.m. sunrise, 7:53 p.m. sunset

• Aug. 31: 6:28 a.m. sunrise, 7:30 p.m. sunset

• Sept. 15: 6:42 a.m. sunrise, 7:07 p.m. sunset

• Sept. 30: 6:55 a.m. sunrise, 6:43 p.m. sunset

• Oct. 15: 7:09 a.m. sunrise, 6:20 p.m. sunset

• Oct. 31: 7:26 a.m. sunrise, 6 p.m. sunset

• Nov. 15: 6:42 a.m. sunrise, 4:46 p.m. sunset (Daylight saving time ends Nov. 3.)

• Nov. 30: 6:58 a.m. sunrise, 4:39 p.m. sunset

• Dec. 15: 7:10 a.m. sunrise, 4:40 p.m. sunset

• Dec. 21 (day of the winter solstice): 7:14 a.m. sunrise, 4:42 p.m. sunset

• Dec. 31: 7:17 a.m. sunrise, 4:49 p.m. sunset

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