After months of depressingly early sunsets and with the winter solstice (i.e. the darkest day of the season) behind us, the fortunate time for longer and brighter days is finally upon us.
Do you feel yourself slowly defrosting from that frigid shell of seasonal depression?!
Since December 21, 2023, we’ve slowly (but surely!) been gaining more daylight each day. And by Thursday, February 29th, New York City will see 11 hours and 16 minutes of daylight–that’s 1 hour and 11 minutes longer than the most daylight we saw in one day this past January!
Sure, 11 hours and 16 minutes of daylight may not seem like a lot compared to the 15-hours-and-5-minutes-worth of daylight we’ll receive on June 20th of this year–the summer solstice and longest day of the year–but as of February 1st, 2024, New Yorker’s were seeing 10 hours and 6 minutes worth of daylight, and by February 29th we’ll have gained 69 minutes of daylight since the start of the month.
The first sunset of the year in NYC was at 4:39pm, and by February 29th the sun won’t set until 5:46pm–yes, we’re inching closer and closer to that 6pm sunset!
Additionally, the sun is also slowly rising earlier and earlier in NYC, contributing to the amount of daylight hours we see. The sunrise on January 1st occurred at 7:20am, while by February 29th the sun will be rising almost a full hour earlier at 6:30am.
Not sure how to make the most out of these extra hours of daylight? We suggest starting with these 52 Fabulous Things To Do In New York City This February