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Ready for more daylight on your Kansas commute? Here’s when the days will get longer

Seen from Douglas Avenue, the sun begins to set over Wichita in this file photo. Here’s when Kansans can expect the days to start getting longer.
Seen from Douglas Avenue, the sun begins to set over Wichita in this file photo. Here’s when Kansans can expect the days to start getting longer. The Wichita Eagle

The shortest day of the year is just around the corner.

The winter solstice, which is the first day of winter, is Thursday, Dec. 21.

This event occurs in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun’s path in the sky is the farthest south. The days leading up to the winter solstice, following the autumnal equinox, continue to get shorter and shorter, with the sun rising later and setting earlier. The winter solstice is also the shortest day of the year.

While the winter solstice happens in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere experiences its summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

The sun will rise at 7:40 a.m. and set at 5:14 p.m. Dec. 21 in Wichita, making the day’s length a total of 9 hours and 33 minutes, according to online global clock Time and Date.

Here’s what to know about the sunrise and sunset times in Wichita following the solstice and how quickly the days will lengthen.

Sunset times in Wichita, Kansas

Here’s a quick look at sunrise and sunset times in Wichita for the final days of 2023 following the solstice, from Time and Date:

  • Dec. 22: Sunrise at 7:41 a.m. and sunset at 5:14 p.m.
  • Dec. 23: Sunrise at 7:41 a.m. and sunset at 5:15 p.m.
  • Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve): Sunrise at 7:42 a.m. and sunset at 5:15 p.m.
  • Dec. 25 (Christmas): Sunrise at 7:42 a.m. and sunset at 5:16 p.m.
  • Dec. 26: Sunrise at 7:42 a.m. and sunset at 5:16 p.m.
  • Dec. 27: Sunrise at 7:43 a.m. and sunset at 5:17 p.m.
  • Dec. 28: Sunrise at 7:43 a.m. and sunset at 5:18 p.m.
  • Dec. 29: Sunrise at 7:43 a.m. and sunset at 5:18 p.m.
  • Dec. 30: Sunrise at 7:44 a.m. and sunset at 5:19 p.m.
  • Dec. 31 (New Year’s Eve): Sunrise at 7:44 a.m. and sunset at 5:20 p.m.

The sun will rise at 7:44 a.m. and set at 5:21 p.m. on New Year’s Day in Wichita.

The days will continue to get longer in the Northern Hemisphere until the summer solstice.

Lindsay Smith
The Wichita Eagle
Lindsay Smith is a suburban news reporter for the Wichita Eagle, covering the communities of Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Haysville and Kechi. She has been on The Eagle staff since 2022 and was the service journalism reporter for three years. She has a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Wichita State, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. You can reach her via email at lsmith@wichitaeagle.com.
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