In materials science, quenching is the rapid cooling of a workpiece in water, oil or air to obtain certain material properties. A type of heat treating, quenching prevents undesired low-temperature processes, such as phase transformations, from occurring. It does this by reducing the window of time during which these undesired reactions are both thermodynamically favorable, and kinetically accessible; for instance, quenching can reduce the crystal grain size of both metallic and plastic material
The length of the day in Walla Walla varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2017, the shortest day is December 21, with 8 hours, 38 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 21, with 15 hours, 46 minutes of daylight.
So, to make your lives easier, this year the shortest day of the year is on December 21st. Notice, I've even found you a handy link that will let you know the shortest day of the year in other years as well. In Iceland, that translates to 3-4 hours of sunlight, depending upon where you are. And, having spent a winter in Scotland--where daylight is also a scant commodity--I can tell you that hours of sunlight is often a laughable concept, what with the endless cloudbanks and the steady drizzle.