Winter solstice marks Scotland's shortest day and longest night of the year

Wintery conditions are forecast for large parts of Scotland on Saturday which will be longest night and shortest day of 2024.

The winter solstice occurs every December and marks the 24-hour period with the fewest daylight hours of the year.

The country is experiencing the shortest daylight hours with the likes of Glasgow getting just six hours and 57 minutes of daylight after the sun set at around 3.44pm.

This year the shortest day lasted on average seven hours 49 minutes and 42 seconds – eight hours and 49 minutes shorter than the summer solstice which marks the longest day and shortest night.

While the shortest day of the year may not sound appealing to those who don’t enjoy the darker nights, it does mark the beginning of the days getting longer and nights shorter.

STV Weatherman Philip Petrie said: “Today marks the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice. Today many places in Scotland can expect to see roughly 7 hours of daylight marking the shortest day (or the longest night).

“For example in Glasgow the sunrise will be about 8:46am with the sunset due at 3:44pm and for the likes of Lerwick in Shetland the sunrise will be about 9:08am and the sunset at 2:57pm.

“This also marks the first day of winter which runs until March 25^th 2025.

“And it will be feeling particularly wintery this weekend too to mark the occasion, with strong winds expected across the country, blustery showers with some hail, sleet and snow expected on Saturday night.”