While people in the northern hemisphere will experience a shorter day, those in the southern hemisphere will get to soak up the sun for a longer period
DECEMBER 21 is officially the longest day and the shortest night of the year. This day also marks the official start of the summer season.
While people in the northern hemisphere will experience a shorter day, those in the southern hemisphere will get the opportunity to soak up the sun for a longer period, explains Accuweather.
Weather experts say that the seasons are not based on the Earth's distance from the sun, but rather from the way the Earth is tilted on an axis.
On this very day the Earth's axis, tilted towards the sun, introduces the summer solstice.
The word solstice comes from the Latin words "sol," meaning sun, and "sistere," meaning to stop.
Solstices come twice a year. For the southern hemisphere, the winter (June) solstice occurs around June 20-21, and the summer (December) solstice happens around December 21-22.
According to Time and Date, the solstice will strike at 17:59 in Cape Town. And in terms of daylight, this day is 4 hours, 32 minutes longer than during the June solstice.
Capetonians will experience 14 hours and 25 minutes of daylight on this day as the sun rose at 05:31am and is expected to set at 19:57pm.
Tuesday's weather forecast for Cape Town, according to Accuweather was a sunny day with temperatures peaking at 28 degrees, with a mainly clear evening, followed by considerable cloudiness late with a thunderstorm in the area and a low of 17 degree Celsius.
In the meantime, the City of Cape confirmed that the latest dam levels stand at a healthy 96,7%.
The City added: "Even though our dam levels have increased, rainfall remains well below the long-term average. Protect our water resources by adhering to water restrictions."