Winter officially arrives on the calendar early Sunday morning at 10:03 a.m. eastern time, making for the shortest day and longest night of the year. While winter technically begins, the weather in Charlotte won’t fully match. Sunday starts off quiet and fairly mild for late December. We’ ll see a mix of sun and clouds through the day, and temperatures will climb into the upper 50s to near 60 degrees by the afternoon. Not exactly the deep freeze you’d expect for the first day of winter. With that being said, don’t let Sunday fool you. Even though the season begins in the early morning hours, the true winter cold is still on the way, just not immediately.  It’s my pick day of the entire week as daytime highs soar to the mid 60s making for great travel conditions, and a decent day to get outside for last-minute errands. It’s one of those “winter on the calendar”, but more of “fall jacket in real life” kind of days. Winter will officially last from December 21 through March 20, giving us approximately 90 days in the winter season this year. While the days slowly start getting longer after Sunday, colder air will eventually settle in as we head deeper into January. So for our region, winter begins early Sunday morning, but it eases in rather than hitting us all at once. Enjoy the mild start! ...read more read less