Kingdom to witness winter solstice today

AMMAN — Sunday marks the winter solstice, Jordan Meteorological Department Director Muhammad Momani said on Thursday. On Sunday, the sun is rising at 6:32am and setting at 4:36pm, marking the shortest day of the year at 10 hours and 4 minutes.

The night will be 13 hours and 56 minutes long, Momani told the Jordan News Agency, Petra. Following the first day of winter, days will start to become longer and nights shorter, until they become equal again on March 20, which marks the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere.

In Jordan, the winter solstice coincides with the start of marbaniyeh, the local name given to the 40 coldest days of winter, when the country typically witnesses several depressions.