Tired of driving in the dark? Here’s when we’ll start getting more daylight in MS
The winter solstice is coming.
And with it, comes the shortest and darkest day of the year.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the winter solstice (the official first day of winter) happened on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 10:27 p.m.
But it’s what happens after the winter solstice that is the most exciting. Hint: you won’t be driving in the dark after work anymore.
When will Mississippi residents see more daylight?
The answer: sooner than you think.
“Starting Saturday, December 23, the days will start getting longer, and the sun will be slightly higher up,” according to the almanac.
We will stop losing daylight and slowly gain more daylight.
How much daylight will we see?
It will be small at first, just by seconds a day, but it will grow to around three minutes per day by March.
Here’s an example of what that could look like:
Until Christmas, Mississippi residents saw around 9 hours and 11 minutes of daylight.
In January, that will increase to around 9 hours and 15 minutes of daylight.
By February 20, daylight will increase about three minutes per day. So, the 20th will have about 9 hours and 18 minutes of daylight, while February 21 will have 9 hours and 21 minutes of daylight and so on.
By June, residents will see significantly longer days and more sunlight. The longest day of the year is when the summer solstice comes and that day is full of sunlight.
Are you excited about this change? Comment below or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com
This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Tired of driving in the dark? Here’s when we’ll start getting more daylight in MS."
