Here's something to put a spring in your step - we're now rapidly gaining daylight

The rapid daylight increase is now under way

Given the cloudy weather most of us have seen for weeks I thought it might be good to put together a bit of a feel-good article to put a little spring in your step!

Now, it might be hard to notice with all the cloud – especially in the east of the country – but the evenings are getting a little bit lighter. Only noticeable for those on a plane above the clouds at the moment, but trust me the next sunny evening we have (can’t wait!) you’ll see It.

BIG CHANGES IN THE COMING WEEKS

In Shetland, we’re gaining just over five minutes of daylight per day with this increasing to its peak in mid-March when it will reach five-and-a- half minutes.

In Glasgow and Edinburgh, the gain in daylight reaches about four-and-a-half minutes per day at the end of this week and continues at this rate until the start of May.

SUNSET TIMES

Now, the gain in daylight is at the beginning and end of the day, so the sunset time is only changing by about two minutes per day at the moment, but that all adds up. Sunset today is an about an hour-and-a-half later than it was on Christmas Day.

With the gain continuing there will be half an hour more light by the end of this month compared to today with it not getting completely dark in central Scotland until just after 6pm.

Fast forward to the end of March and that’s 8pm – of course partly driven by the change of clocks on March 29.

HOW LONG UNTIL SPRING?

Well, that depends whether you’re talking about meteorological spring which is March 1, or astronomical spring on March 20, but this is an article to make you smile, so let’s just say it’s just a few weeks to go.

IS THERE ANY SIGN OF A WARM-UP?

January and February so far have felt long and drawn out – especially with the generally damp, chilly, and dull conditions many areas have experienced. And while it’s felt cold at times, temperatures have actually been fairly close to average.

What we’ve really been missing are those occasional milder spikes we often see in winter – instead, it’s been a pretty consistent run of weather.

But let’s not dwell on the past – what about the coming weeks?

Well, I can’t offer too many crumbs of comfort. Most computer models suggest average to below-average temperatures are likely to continue for the rest of the month.

A few of the more extreme models even hint at highs of 11°C in Glasgow by the end of February – but take that with a very large pinch of salt. Even then, it’s nothing to get too excited about.

I say it’s not great, but there is a silver lining – ski centres will likely be pleased with the general trend, as it should keep the snow on the upper slopes in good shape well into March.

So, in short – there’s no real sign of a proper warm-up yet. And as for March breaking that trend? Don’t hold your breath…

For now, just look forward to the lighter evenings – and I’ll be the first to tell you when it’s time to dust off the patio set!

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