Heading into the first weekend of February, we've gained more than an hour of daylight since the winter solstice. Our day is now almost ten and a half hours. Until daylight saving time begins, sunrises are now before seven a.m. and our sunsets will pass five thirty on Sunday.
Each day, we're gaining two more minutes of light. So by this time next month, the sun will set just before six p.m. Two days later, daylight saving time begins bringing us past the seven p.m. mark!
As a quick reminder, our day length changes because of the way the Earth orbits the sun. The Earth is tilted on its axis at 23.5 degrees. Because of that - as Earth orbits the sun the amount of light any given spot sees changes.
This map of the U.S. shows how much sunlight everyone gains in February. The further north you are, the more you gain. We gain about the same amount of light as places like Philadelphia and San Francisco.
One thing to keep in mind as we rapidly increase daylight this month, the solar angle also increases. That means the sun gets higher in the sky and the sunlight is stronger. This increases the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching us on the ground, which can cause sunburns.
Brighter days are ahead. Just remember the sunscreen if you're going to be out for a long time.
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