The changing daylight hours thread

[Bradley in Kent]

Good afternoon all,

The onset of darkness is slowing and from next week will almost come to a stop. Not much changes in December.

Depending on your latitude, the earliest sunset and latest sunrise dates are away from the solstice (21st December) which is of course the shortest day overall.

Here the earliest sunset is 12th December and latest sunrise is 30th December. The closer to the pole you go the nearer those dates get to the solstice and vice versa. (say Tropic of Cancer those dates are a good month either side of the solstice). Here it's quite noticeable how in January the evenings are off and away in getting lighter, but the mornings don't get going until much later in the month.

This is the time of year weather makes all the difference, if you get a clear day and great sunrise/ sunset it's quite bearable, but when it's a cloud fest it really is depressing especially if the cloud doesn't go away for days. 

To be honest this is my least favourite time of year and I look forward to end of February at this point!

Edited December 1, 2021 by Bradley in Kent

[Dangerous55019]

On 01/12/2021 at 15:00, Bradley in Kent said:

Good afternoon all,

The onset of darkness is slowing and from next week will almost come to a stop. Not much changes in December.

 

Good afternoon @Bradley in Kent 
The onset of the darkness (at the evening end of the day) stops next Friday - 10th of December, and the mornings stop on the 28th of December.

Yep, the pendulum is reaching the end of its stroke again.

I have to say that it does seem to have gone very quick this year! It only seems like a month or so ago I was commenting on the summer solstice! 
Is someone messing around with time? 

[interested & confused]

Must be those dreaded Time Lords again  

[Bogman]

Lets do the time warp again.

It's that time of year. 

[Turnedoutniceagain]

It's hardly worth turning the lights off now 

 

[davehsug]

Yes according to sunset/sunrise site, we still have 22 minutes to lose in the morning, but only 4 minutes in the evening. We're almost there! Just a shame the clocks don't go forward at the end of February, to mirror the Autumn switch. We're "robbed" of an hour's evening daylight for a month.

[Bradley in Kent]

Apparently the times we have now were established sometime in the 70's. Before then the clocks used to go back first weekend of October and didn't go forward until the last weekend of April. My word that would've been grim, no wonder some old folk above 80 tell you winters used to last forever! (even if memory has filtered out mild winters)

I suppose end of February would work and I certainly won't be against it. I will say though, that week end of March to start of April always feels like the true end of Winter. We always seem to get our first burst of warmth which seems fitting when the clocks go forward. The atmosphere changes, both literally and socially!

Overall, I'm very happy with our daylight and times. Further north and things start to get a bit too extreme with summer and winter, but further south that sun starts to get too harsh.

50 - 60 degrees north with GMT / BST is, in my opinion, the goldilocks zone  

[damianslaw]

These are the 'dark days in the run up to christmas', traditionally the atlantic is at its most agressive now, and consequently this is the dullest/cloudiest time of year coinciding with the darkest time. SW airstreams are the worse, they bring low cloud and it never becomes light. On the flip side, polar air is good, it bring light, delays the dusk and makes all the world of difference. Mind whilst this is the darkest period of the year, the worse period for winter darkness woes is the firs half of Jan, christmas spirit and lights have gone, and it is an uphill struggle.. whilst 21 Dec is rejoiced as the low point arrives, I think 21 Jan is the date pyschologically that winter SAD suffers long for, only from then on does light level increase most notably, especially the morning.

Edited December 2, 2021 by damianslaw

[cheeky_monkey]

15 hours ago, davehsug said:

Yes according to sunset/sunrise site, we still have 22 minutes to lose in the morning, but only 4 minutes in the evening. We're almost there! Just a shame the clocks don't go forward at the end of February, to mirror the Autumn switch. We're "robbed" of an hour's evening daylight for a month.

the clock go forward here 1st week of march ...you are then robbed of an hour a daylight in the morning..which means you are plunged back into past 8am sunrises for another 2/3 weeks feels like a kick in the teeth when its been cold and dark for 4 months

[cheeky_monkey]

11 hours ago, Bradley in Kent said:

Apparently the times we have now were established sometime in the 70's. Before then the clocks used to go back first weekend of October and didn't go forward until the last weekend of April. My word that would've been grim, no wonder some old folk above 80 tell you winters used to last forever! (even if memory has filtered out mild winters)

 

according to the time and date website the date of time changes in the UK in 1961 for example was Sunday March 26 and Sunday October 29 so the same as today.

Edited December 2, 2021 by cheeky_monkey

[davehsug]

8 hours ago, cheeky_monkey said:

the clock go forward here 1st week of march ...you are then robbed of an hour a daylight in the morning..which means you are plunged back into past 8am sunrises for another 2/3 weeks feels like a kick in the teeth when its been cold and dark for 4 months

Of course, there isn't more daylight, but an hour at night seems so much more valuable than an hour in the morning, it's just perception. 

[Bradley in Kent]

On 02/12/2021 at 23:17, cheeky_monkey said:

according to the time and date website the date of time changes in the UK in 1961 for example was Sunday March 26 and Sunday October 29 so the same as today.

I'll take your word for it, perhaps in 1961 people have had enough of dark evenings for 7 months of the year!

I'll have to also look into the 2nd World War and the 70s experiment where we went an hour forward or even 2 hours forward. 

I'd say out of the big political decisions governments can make, time zone and using daylight is definitely up there!

[mb018538]

Only 3 minutes (and 12 days) now from the earliest sunset....and we can start climbing back out of the darkness. Can't wait! 

[damianslaw]

Just 4 days away from the low point in terms of least light in the evenings. After a relatively sunny end to November and start to December.. the gloom has set in.. and the darkest evenings are about to coincide with alot of dull cloudy days.. get ready for early dusk and it never getting fully light. Oh joy!

[damianslaw]

Hooray we have hit the low point today! 11th in terms of lowest light level in the evening! Something to celebrate. Looking a very dark day ahead one that never gets light really. 

[hillbilly]

10 hours ago, damianslaw said:

Hooray we have hit the low point today! 11th in terms of lowest light level in the evening! Something to celebrate. Looking a very dark day ahead one that never gets light really. 

Even though i dont like these dull days and early evenings,it is these such times that make the long summer days very enjoyable.

[damianslaw]

As expected a rapid decline into dusk. Never been light all day. A true dark December day!

[Bradley in Kent]

Evening all,

As others have said we've now hit the earliest sunset marking the beginning of the 'darkest period' from today to the latest sunrise on the 30th. 

I must say I am looking forward to late February when the daylight really lengthens out! And even more so a warm sultry afternoon, 25c, sun still up past 9pm

[damianslaw]

The dark days before Christmas now in swing.. but this year with promise of high pressure not as dark as usual which will be a big bonus.

[Weather Enthusiast91]

I must be a bit of an oddball as I am a little disappointed that we have now reached that peak. I love the long dark evenings as they are more atmospheric, quieter and I tend to sleep better. Whilst I like spring and summer as much as anyone does, I do think the long dark evenings are underrated. Though I do understand about dark mornings as it can at times make it difficult to get out of bed. So swings and roundabouts really.

I think the daylight hours around the equinoxes would be a good compromise as day and night are of more or less equal length.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Weather Enthusiast91

[mb018538]

Tomorrow is a good day. We're at the end of the road for darkness, and heading back towards the light. Luckily it's arrived pretty quickly! 2 more months of winter to get through and I can start looking for the first 21c of the year instead of looking for snow that never arrives!

[lassie23]

7 minutes ago, mb018538 said:

Tomorrow is a good day. We're at the end of the road for darkness, and heading back towards the light. Luckily it's arrived pretty quickly! 2 more months of winter to get through and I can start looking for the first 21c of the year instead of looking for snow that never arrives!

long evenings of daylight and bbqs......sweeeet

[Jan]

2 minutes ago, lassie23 said:

long evenings of daylight and bbqs......sweeeet

Can't wait for the lighter nights

[mb018538]

9 minutes ago, lassie23 said:

long evenings of daylight and bbqs......sweeeet

Both of those are major plusses of course!....but for me it's all about being able to play golf after work from around the end of March (after the clocks change) to mid September. The period from late May to late July is just sublime. Can't beat those warm evenings. I still play now, but it's certainly not as enjoyable trudging around in 5c as it is in 21c+ 

[ChannelThunder]

We're finally there: the low point. 6 months of 'tomorrow will be a tiny bit lighter' lie ahead