As days drag on and the sun still sets relatively early, you may be left wondering are the days truly getting longer? The short answer is, yes. But only by a few minutes.
Each day we average an extra 2 minutes from the day prior. Today, January 14, we'll gain 1 minute and 35 seconds of daylight. By Jan 31 we'll have gained almost 29 more minutes of daylight. Today's sunrise occurs at 8:11 A.M. and the sunset is at 5:32 P.M.
By the end of February, we can expect an additional two hours and 30 minutes. February 28's sunrise is at 7:20 A.M. And the sunset is at 6:30 P.M.
The first 6 o'clock sunset of the year arrives on February 5.
As we ease closer to our longest day, June 21, we'll gain an additional 6 hours and 41 minutes of daylight. The longest day of the year, the summer solstice on June 21, is 15 hours and 21 minutes long in Grand Rapids.