Southern Colorado has officially entered the darkest period of the year, with the sun now setting before 5 p.m. — a pattern that will continue until January 14 — 10 weeks away.
The region still experiences significant daylight loss during November. Colorado Springs loses about 52 minutes of daylight this month, while Pueblo loses slightly more than 50 minutes. By the end of November, Southern Colorado's sunsets will be close to the earliest of the year, with the actual earliest sunset occurring on December 6.
Compared to the summer solstice — the longest day of the year — our days are currently four and a half hours shorter. By the winter solstice, they'll be nearly five and a half hours shorter.
However, the daylight loss could be much worse in other parts of the country. Northern Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota lose more than an hour of light this month. On the flip side, residents in southern states only lose about 30 minutes of daylight.
The winter solstice provides another perspective on regional differences. On that day, Southern Colorado has about one extra hour of light compared to Seattle and four hours compared to Anchorage, Alaska, which experiences a day length of only five and a half hours!
For those missing the later sunsets, there's historical context to consider. The United States tried permanent daylight saving time in 1974, but after a winter of darkness, it proved so unpopular that it was repealed.
For now, the country continues to shift clocks twice a year. In the short term, sunsets will begin getting later again in early December.
____
Have a question or story idea you would like the First Alert 5 Weather team to consider? Email: weather@koaa.com
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
