The Dominican Republic observed the shortest day of 2025 on Sunday, 21 December 2025, as the winter solstice officially ushered in a transition in the northern hemisphere’s astronomical calendar.
The solstice occurs when the Earth’s axis reaches its maximum tilt away from the sun. For those in the Caribbean, this shift results in a noticeable reduction in daylight hours and the arrival of the longest night of the year.
While the solstice is often associated with the onset of winter, it is primarily a geometric event. Because the North Pole is tilted at its furthest point from the sun, the tropical latitude of the Dominican Republic sees its minimum solar exposure.
According to prominent local meteorological analyst Jean Suriel, the solstice delivered an unusually long night on Sunday, with 13 hours of darkness.
Residents can expect shorter afternoons and a period where evening temperatures often dip, influenced by the lack of prolonged solar heating.
From this point forward, the days will gradually begin to lengthen again as the hemisphere slowly tilts back toward the sun, leading toward the spring equinox in March.
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El Dia
Museum of Science
22 December 2025