Brighter Days: Daylight growing rapidly now

A bright winter sun beams in the sky today. You can feel the extra energy as the sun climbs higher into the mid-January sky. Daylight is rapidly increasing now. Evenings are much brighter than just one month ago.

The sun is climbing higher and delivering more energy each day. Sunset is now past 5 pm in the Twin Cities.

Tracking the sun

We're gaining 2 minutes of daylight a day in Minnesota this week. "Civil twilight" nears 6 pm in about 2 weeks, meaning it's light on clear evenings until 6 pm soon. The sun climbs about 3 degrees higher in the noon sky by month's end.

As the sun climbs higher in the midday sky, days with temperatures around freezing produce quicker snow melt. It's still winter in Minnesota, but the increasing sun angle and growing daylight can lift spirits, and remind us that spring is not that far away.