Tired of driving in the dark? Here’s when we’ll start getting more daylight in NC
North Carolinians gained an extra hour of sleep when daylight saving time ended in early November, but it came with a price — earlier sunsets.
On Dec. 1, the sun sets at 5:12 p.m. in Charlotte. In Raleigh, the sun will go down 10 minutes earlier.
The good news is that days will start to get longer later this month, and by late winter, both cities will see more than 11 hours of sunlight every day.
Here’s when North Carolina residents can expect to see more sunlight, and how to determine how much daylight there is in a day:
When will NC start gaining more daylight?
North Carolinians can expect longer days after the winter solstice (the first day of winter), which occurs on Dec. 21 at 10:27 p.m., according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The days will start being longer on Dec. 23, according to the almanac, but the increase starts slowly.
“This gain will be minuscule at first, just a matter of seconds a day, but will steadily grow until daily daylight expands by three daily minutes per day in March,” the almanac says. “The exact amount of brightness gain depends on your location.”
The daylight gain will slow by May as the summer solstice approaches in June. During the summer solstice, the amount of daylight will peak and give way to the longest day and shortest night of the year.
The opposite is in effect from the summer to winter solstice, as the amount of daylight decreases until it peaks with the longest night of the year in December.
When is the longest night of the year for 2023?
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the longest night of the year for 2023 is on the winter solstice, Dec. 21.
On that day, North Carolina residents will see less than 10 hours of daylight.
Is there a way to determine how much daylight there is in a day?
Yes, the Old Farmer’s Almanac has a sunrise/sunset calculator that tracks time for every corner of the country.
▪ For example, the calculator states that for Charlotte, on Friday, Dec. 1, there will be 10 hours of daylight. By the expected winter solstice date on Dec. 21, the calculator states that there will be nine hours and 49 minutes of sunlight.
A month later on Jan. 21, 2024, the daylight meter is already at 10 hours and 13 minutes. Another month later on Feb. 21, 2024, the daylight count is up to 11 hours and 10 minutes.
▪ In Raleigh, there will be nine hours and 46 minutes of daylight on the winter solstice. Two months later on Feb. 21, that number jumps to 11 hours and nine minutes.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Brayden Garcia contributed to this story.
This story was originally published December 4, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
