As the chill of winter lingers, Seattleites can look forward to a subtle shift in the daily rhythm with the year's first 5 p.m. sunsets making a comeback starting Friday. After enduring 82 days of the sun dipping below the horizon before 5 p.m., those in the greater Puget Sound area can anticipate to bask a bit longer in the remaining daylight. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Solar Calculator, the awaited sunset hour will mark a turning point in the waning days of winter.
Despite the overcast skies that a typical Seattle forecast promises with an 80% chance of rain after 3 p.m. on Friday, as reported by the NWS, the extending daylight does offer a glimmer of hope. NWS detailed forecast also notes that new precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch are possible, potentially setting a damp scene for the first sunset past the 5 o'clock threshold.
Moving past the shortest days of the year, Seattle now sees an approximate 9 hours and 17 minutes of "day length," a noticeable increase from the mere 8.5 hours available at the beginning of January. "Each day, Seattle gains approximately 2.5 minutes of daylight," according to a report by MyNorthwest. This incremental lengthening will continue until mid-March, when the city will welcome 3.5 minutes of extra sunlight per day, inching towards the summer solstice's generous 16 hours of daylight.
