Living

Tired of driving in the dark? Here’s when we’ll start getting more daylight in Georgia

The winter solstice is coming.

And with it, comes the shortest and darkest day of the year.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the winter solstice (the official first day of winter) will happen on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 10:27 p.m.

But it’s what happens after the winter solstice that is the most exciting. Hint: you won’t be driving in the dark after work anymore.

When will Georgia residents see more daylight?

The answer: sooner than you think.

“Starting Saturday, December 23, the days will start getting longer, and the sun will be slightly higher up,” according to the almanac.

We will stop losing daylight and slowly gain more daylight.

How much daylight will we see?

It will be small at first, just by seconds a day, but it will grow to around three minutes per day by March.

Here’s an example of what that could look like:

  • Currently and up until Christmas, Georgians see around 10 hours of daylight.

  • In January, that will increase to around 10 hours and four minutes of daylight.

  • By February 20, daylight will increase about three minutes per day. So, the 20th will have about 10 hours and 7 minutes of daylight, while February 21 will have 10 hours and 10 minutes of daylight and so on.

  • By June, Georgians will see significantly longer days and more sunlight. The longest day of the year is when the summer solstice comes and that day is full of sunlight, 14 hours of it.

Are you excited about this change? Comment below or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com

Read Next
Read Next

This story was originally published December 20, 2023 at 11:02 AM.

Chelsea Madden
The Telegraph
Chelsea is a service journalism reporter who began working for McClatchy in 2022. She was born and raised in Middle Georgia and lives in Forsyth. She attended Wesleyan College for undergrad and a few years after that, went to SCAD for an MFA in writing. Outside of work, Chelsea likes to watch Netflix, read books in the thriller genre and chase her toddler around.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER