It’s the shortest day of the year today – but there’s light on the horizon.

Long dark nights and frosty mornings lie ahead, but in a few weeks we’ll start to notice the days getting longer again.

WeatherWatch.co.nz analyst Philip Duncan says there’s even the chance of an early start to spring due to the current mild pattern across the nation.

The solstice occurs at an exact moment and the date and time changes each year, but it’s usually around June 21.

Today (and the days either side) contain the least amount of available sunset, with the sun now mostly shining over the Northern Hemisphere.

The solstice happens at 10:51pm tonight and after that the days will very slowly start to get longer.  By September we’ll be gaining over 20 minutes additional daylight each week.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz