Spring forward longer days and later sunsets

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - It’s already that time of year again! Time to set the clocks forward one hour as daylight saving time begins. Officially, daylight saving time begins this coming Sunday at 2 a.m.

So if you’re awake at 2 a.m. you will notice automatic clocks going from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. If you have clocks that don’t update to time changes automatically you will have to manually adjust them before going to bed Saturday night.

The downside to the time change is the loss of one hour of sleep that we’ll get Saturday night. The positive outcome will be later sunsets.

On Saturday the sun will set at 5:51 p.m. That changes to 6:51 p.m. come Sunday. And those sunset times will only get later and later as we progress through the rest of March, April, May, etc.

By April 1st we’re talking a sunset time of 7:05 p.m. By May 1st we’re approaching 7:30 p.m.

Our latest sunset of the year will occur from late June into early July. The sun will set at a fantastic 7:56 p.m. for nine consecutive days to kick off summer!

Not only are we eyeing later and later sunsets, but also longer days. By St. Patrick’s Day most of Central Alabama will enjoy 12 hours of daylight each day going forward, and by mid-April we will have at least 13 hours of daylight each day.

If you’re really looking for those long days, mark your calendars for May 24th because that kicks off a stretch of 56 consecutive days with at least 14 hours of daylight!

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