February promises nearly 50 additional minutes in daylight – public radio in South Carolina

After an unusually cold January, February is welcome from the forecast for frosty Carolina. And the weather is almost perfect. You may have noticed that the days are getting longer with more time to soak the sun as we approach spring. This month alone, South Carolina will win almost 50 minutes more daylight.

Since the December solstice (December 21), the amount of sunlight has increased daily. Initially, this change was slow, adding only a few seconds a day. But in February, the increase quickly accelerated. The zones in the north, closer to the poles, experience a more dramatic change in the annual balance between daylight and night time. In contrast, the places closer to the equator see a more fine change.

For example, in New York, the amount of sunlight increases by more than two minutes each day. By February 28, the sun was above the horizon for 67 minutes longer than it was on February 1st. By comparison, Miami, which is much closer to the equator, sees an increase of 37 minutes of sunlight throughout the month. The shortest day of the month in South Carolina was February 1, with 11 hours, 1 minute daylight. And our longest day will be on February 28, with 11 hours, 38 minutes daylight.

As the days get longer, nights begin to shrink, leading to more ranks, later sunsets and less time for stars. The days will continue to grow longer and the nights will gradually become shorter throughout the northern hemisphere until the summer solstice on June 20. Then the daily dose of the sun will start to decrease and the nights will begin to extend every day until the winter solstice.

When does the summer saving time begin in 2025?

The hours will come forward one hour on March 9, 2025, as the time to save daily summer begins in the bigger part of the United States. The change will lead to later sunrises and sunsets that can benefit from outdoor business that rely on daylight, such as golf courses, during the summer months.

And if your curious and love to plan, the summer saving time will end on November 2, 2025, when the clocks will fall back for an hour and the whole US will return to standard time.