COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Colorado Springs sunsets are now falling before 8 p.m., and the days are getting noticeably shorter, a shift that's already changing the rhythm of daily life and quietly powering up the region's weather engine heading into fall.
On Aug. 1, the Colorado Springs sunset came at 8:10 p.m., with a total day length of about 14 hours and 10 minutes. By the end of August, sunset falls at 7:30 p.m. — more than an hour of daylight lost in a single month.
I headed to the Manitou Incline to ask neighbors whether they're excited for fall or bummed that summer is winding down.
"How much light do you think we lose from August 1st to the end of August?" I asked one visitor.
"I don't know, maybe 45 minutes to an hour?" they said.
The actual answer is more than an hour — and the pace of that loss is accelerating.
Right now, Colorado Springs is losing more than 2 minutes of daylight per day. That rapid loss rate will continue through early November.
For some, the shorter days are welcome.
"I am, weather wise, 100 percent ready for it to be cooler," one person at the Incline said.
"It makes it much easier to catch a sunrise here because you don't have to get up so early," they added.
Even the youngest visitors at the Incline had opinions on the changing seasons.
"Do you like the snow or do you like the sun?" I asked Liam Walton - a 3 year old who made it up part of the incline!
"Um... lizards like the sun," he explained.
"The lizards do like the sun!" I replied.
He seemed to like all types of weather patterns being equally thrilled with both heat and snow - a meteorologist in the making.
But beyond the personal preferences, the loss of daylight has real consequences for the atmosphere.
The shortening days are the engine that drives stronger weather fronts. Daylight is lost much faster near the poles than at the equator, and that creates a growing temperature contrast between the two regions. That contrast wakes up the weather conveyor belt and moves the region toward more potent storm systems.
Whether you're already eyeing the ski slopes or still holding onto summer nights, the loss of light is a visible sign that the wild weather swings of fall are on the way.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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