Buzz
If you're looking forward to this weekend's winter solstice—the shortest day of the year—thinking that each day after will bring a little more daylight, here's some disappointing news: while the total duration of daylight will indeed increase, the sunrise will actually continue to occur later for some time, resulting in even darker mornings.
Early risers may already be familiar with this pattern, but it caught me off guard last year when I started getting up early for runs. While the sunset became later each day, the sunrise followed suit. On the solstice, sunrise in my area was at 7:39, and it wasn’t until late January that I saw it at 7:38.
This depends on your specific location, so if you're eager for morning light, feel free to check out sunrise and sunset times here.
Let’s focus on New York City. Its earliest sunset (darkest evening) occurred around December 6, so the evenings are gradually becoming a bit brighter. On the solstice, the sun will rise at 7:16 a.m. and set at 4:31 p.m.
However, the sunrise continues to shift later, reaching its peak at 7:20 a.m. in early January. New Yorkers won’t experience a 7:15 a.m. sunrise until January 20th. Then they can start celebrating the lengthening mornings, eagerly awaiting the 7 a.m. sunrise in early February and eventually, a 5:24 a.m. sunrise by mid-June.
Now, let’s take a look at a more southern location. In San Diego, the earliest sunset (darkest evening) took place back around Thanksgiving. Both sunsets and sunrises have been getting later. On the solstice, people in San Diego will witness a 6:45 a.m. sunrise and a 4:45 p.m. sunset. It won’t be until January 30 that they’ll see a sunrise any earlier. However, if you’re in San Diego, you’re already enjoying about a half-hour more morning sunlight than New Yorkers—so be sure to make the most of it. Enjoy your morning run!
