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Philadelphia weather forecast: Lots of sun, but winter solstice marks shortest day of the year

NEXT Weather: Lots of sun Thursday, staying mostly dry thru Christmas
NEXT Weather: Lots of sun Thursday, staying mostly dry thru Christmas 02:50

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Another day of sunshine is on the way!

Overnight temps in the 20s and 30s will warm up to the a high around 46 degrees Thursday with mostly sunny skies.

Clouds increase by the start of the weekend, but it'll remain dry through the Christmas holiday.

Friday we'll see mixed skies and just slightly chillier temps, with a high of 41 degrees.

Winter solstice 2023: first official day of winter, sunrise and sunset times

Later tonight, winter officially begins at 10:27 p.m.

So while we'll have plenty of sunshine heading into the afternoon, the winter solstice makes Thursday the shortest day of the of year, with the least amount of sunlight. 

Sunrise in Philadelphia is at 7:19 a.m. and sunset is at 4:39 p.m., about nine hours and 19 minutes of daylight. 

The days start getting longer after Thursday.

But by February, the sunset is already back to 5:19 p.m. with spring right around the corner!

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Sunrise and sunset times, December until March CBS Philadelphia

Holiday forecast: snow not likely on Christmas

Christmas Eve: Highs in the upper 40s to 50s with sun and clouds

Christmas Day: Highs in the low 50s with partly to mostly sunny skies

Chance of a White Christmas? Zero.

The next chance for rain comes on Tuesday, the first day of Kwanzaa.

Here's your 7-day forecast:

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7-day weather forecast, Dec. 21, 2023 CBS Philadelphia

Thursday: High of 45, sunny and quiet

Friday: High of 42, low of 27, mostly sunny

Saturday: High of 48, low of 30, night showers

Sunday, Christmas Eve: High of 50, low of 37, cloudy

Monday, Christmas Day: High of 53, low of 39, sun and clouds

Tuesday, Kwanza: High of 55, low of 40, showers return

Wednesday: High of 57, low of 47, rain likely

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