The changing daylight hours thread

[Summer8906]

3 minutes ago, CreweCold said:

If we didn’t put the clocks back, most people would be travelling to work in pitch black (especially further N). You’d be looking at near enough 9am to get properly light in December.

How do countries at similar latitude to, and close to us, such as the northern part of France, or Belgium cope in that case?

Even though places like Calais and Boulogne have basically the same winter climate as us, I'd probably find them much less SAD-inducing locations in winter thanks to being on the "right" timezone for my preferences.

Edited June 21, 2023 by Summer8906

[Cheshire Freeze]

Just now, Summer8906 said:

How do countries at similar latitude to, and close to us, such as the northern part of France, or Belgium cope in that case?

Well I’m not sure how to answer that question. However here, in central UK the sun wouldn’t rise until 9.20 in December under BST. So would you want that trade off on a cold, damp December morning just for one extra hr of light in an evening that probably wouldn’t even be useable?

[Summer8906]

2 minutes ago, CreweCold said:

Well I’m not sure how to answer that question. However here, in central UK the sun wouldn’t rise until 9.20 in December under BST. So would you want that trade off on a cold, damp December morning just for one extra hr of light in an evening that probably wouldn’t even be useable?

Depends on preferences I guess, I find going dark before 5pm particularly oppressive and claustrophobic so would readily trade in morning daylight to avoid that.

(That also means that I find Feb by far the least-depressing winter month, as it's light beyond 5pm for almost all the month).

Edited June 21, 2023 by Summer8906

[Cheshire Freeze]

Just now, Summer8906 said:

Depends on preferences I guess, I find going dark before 5pm particularly oppressive and claustrophobic so would readily trade in morning daylight to avoid that.

Fair enough, but a lot of people wouldn’t relish the thought of doing the school run nor starting work in semi light or dark conditions.

I do however think the clocks could move to BST a month earlier than they do.

[Summer8906]

1 minute ago, CreweCold said:

Fair enough, but a lot of people wouldn’t relish the thought of doing the school run nor starting work in semi light or dark conditions.

I do however think the clocks could move to BST a month earlier than they do.

I'd say the opposite, we change back to GMT too early, at the end of Oct/early Nov the days are very lopsided due to the early solar noon. So we have similar daylight at 7am and 4.30pm, which to me is a little bizarre.

In March it's still light at 6pm even under GMT, so GMT in March is much less objectionable than it is in early November.

Edited June 21, 2023 by Summer8906

[Wold Topper]

28 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

I suppose the one good thing is it takes time for the nights to draw in - the movement is very slow for the next 4 weeks or so, I only tend to notice a subtle change in the last week of July and the change only becomes really noticeable from around August 10th.

This is why I much prefer back-loaded summers with the best of the weather in the second half of July and August, not that they happen often (2016 would be a good recent example) to front-loaded summers. It compensates for the loss of daylight.

It is really August when i start to notice tbh, although living in the countryside i do enjoy warm dark nights at harvest time listening to the hum of combines working away late into the eve, reminds me of my youth corn carting

[Wold Topper]

19 minutes ago, CreweCold said:

Fair enough, but a lot of people wouldn’t relish the thought of doing the school run nor starting work in semi light or dark conditions.

I do however think the clocks could move to BST a month earlier than they do.

Agree with your last para CC, we wait far to long to switch to BST, the switching of the 'clocks' either end could be tweaked without too much hassle imo?

[Dark Horse]

20 minutes ago, Wold Topper said:

It is really August when i start to notice tbh, although living in the countryside i do enjoy warm dark nights at harvest time listening to the hum of combines working away late into the eve, reminds me of my youth corn carting

Sounds like bliss. What do I hear all time in Crapchester? Emergency sirens

[Earthshine]

During WW2 the UK was under a period of "double" summer time, winter was GMT+1 and summer was GMT+2.  This resulted in lovely 11pm sunsets in summer and not-so-lovely 9:45am sunrises in winter for Glasgow, for example: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/uk/glasgow?month=6&year=1944

[damianslaw]

5 hours ago, Maz said:

Hi Markyo,

As a “conventional” SAD sufferer I know where you are coming from.  Winter Solstice for me is the darkest day, but also the start of there being a chink of light, a path to cling to.  Sounds exactly the same for you in reverse.  
 

Keep going, it will get darker and cooler, just like it will then get lighter and warmer.  We can’t stop the seasons so just need to make the best of them (unless we are able to re-locate for the season we struggle in of course, but that’s not an option for most).

Tend to find November the hardest slog.. December I'm fine with thanks to christmas, then a drop early January, mornings especially difficult.

Anyhow here we are summer solstice. Evenings very very slowly draw in from now on.. indeed they don't really do so until tail end of July and its not until second week August I notice the loss, a long way to go.. until then plenty of long summer twilights ahead.

[damianslaw]

2 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

I suppose the one good thing is it takes time for the nights to draw in - the movement is very slow for the next 4 weeks or so, I only tend to notice a subtle change in the last week of July and the change only becomes really noticeable from around August 10th.

This is why I much prefer back-loaded summers with the best of the weather in the second half of July and August, not that they happen often (2016 would be a good recent example) to front-loaded summers. It compensates for the loss of daylight.

Exactly the same with regard to noticing evening summer light loss. In terms of when I prefer best of the summer weather, I like it a bit earlier, core period i.e. from now until early August. I don't expect much of August past the second week. July is the king summer month, hot lazy sunny days in July feel right, especially second half when schools break up. 

Edited June 21, 2023 by damianslaw

[Cheshire Freeze]

13 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

Tend to find November the hardest slog.. December I'm fine with thanks to christmas, then a drop early January, mornings especially difficult.

Anyhow here we are summer solstice. Evenings very very slowly draw in from now on.. indeed they don't really do so until tail end of July and its not until second week August I notice the loss, a long way to go.. until then plenty of long summer twilights ahead.

I usually notice by mid July. There’s been a shift in the mornings by then, which I notice as I’m still awake until about 5.

By 16th July there’s about a 20 minute difference in sunrise times…and obviously the varying degrees of twilight have altered.

Edited June 21, 2023 by CreweCold

[lassie23]

1 hour ago, Dark Horse said:

Sounds like bliss. What do I hear all time in Crapchester? Emergency sirens

same here in crapdon

[Weather Enthusiast91]

Late July is usually when I start to notice a very gradual change in the daylight hours. But mid August is when it starts to become a lot more noticeable and it seems to speed up thereon. By that point the sunset time is about an hour earlier than it is now.

Edited June 22, 2023 by Weather Enthusiast91

[Cheshire Freeze]

2 minutes ago, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

Late July is usually when I start to notice a very gradual change in the daylight hours. But mid August is when it starts to become a lot more noticeable and it seems to speed up thereon.

It does speed up.

On 1st July we lose a minute of daylight here, by 1st August we lose 3 mins 20 seconds a day.

 

[Weather-history]

 

[Boydie]

It's too early for me to be considering losing daylight............but here it is........... I'll not notice it for a couple of months yet.

[Maz]

10 hours ago, CreweCold said:

Fair enough, but a lot of people wouldn’t relish the thought of doing the school run nor starting work in semi light or dark conditions.

I do however think the clocks could move to BST a month earlier than they do.

We move to GMT 2 months before winter solstice, and then back to BST 3 months after winter solstice.  Changing back around 20th Feb, rather than 20th March would make sense. 

Daylight hours are just too short in mid-winter, whatever we do with the clocks can't escape that.  GMT seems as good a trade off as any as it maximises light for children going to school and coming home.

[Gordon Webb]

well for me today is 2 seconds shorter than yesterday and to take from game of thrones - WINTER IS COMING

[Summer8906]

11 hours ago, Wold Topper said:

Agree with your last para CC, we wait far to long to switch to BST, the switching of the 'clocks' either end could be tweaked without too much hassle imo?

I've said this before but I would shift the change to GMT in the autumn to 3rd Sunday in November.

This is due to the very early solar noon at that time of year, around 11.45 GMT / 12.45 BST. This means we get very lopsided days with GMT (e.g. sunrise 0645, sunset 1645). On BST you'd get a much more sensible 0745 sunrise, 1745 sunset.

Reluctantly I can accept the need for GMT once we get to late November but I do find it hard to understand why they go back when they do, given the early solar noon.

I also think we could put the clocks forward end of Feb but not so fussed about that because late winter / early spring sunsets even under GMT aren't silly early.

Edited June 22, 2023 by Summer8906

[Sunny76]

11 hours ago, damianslaw said:

Exactly the same with regard to noticing evening summer light loss. In terms of when I prefer best of the summer weather, I like it a bit earlier, core period i.e. from now until early August. I don't expect much of August past the second week. July is the king summer month, hot lazy sunny days in July feel right, especially second half when schools break up. 

I think August can have that nice late summer feeling after the 15th until the close of the month. 
 

I like those mid to late August mornings where it starts off clear and cool, as the summer is starting to fade, but you just know the warmth will creep in later in the day. It does have a different feel compared to late May early August.

Now is the peak of summer for me unti early August. 

[*Stormforce~beka*]

11 hours ago, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

Late July is usually when I start to notice a very gradual change in the daylight hours. But mid August is when it starts to become a lot more noticeable and it seems to speed up thereon. By that point the sunset time is about an hour earlier than it is now.

I am the same time frame as you! It's fine for another month ...

[ChannelThunder]

21 hours ago, Dangerous55019 said:

The time is 15:57 and at long, long last; the summer solstice has just occurred! 

 

Yes folks, the pendulum has finally reached the end of its stroke!

Speaking as a reverse S.A.D. sufferer this is truly as bad as it can get! Around five weeks ago, my part of the world entered the world of the lingering twilight; I’m not gonna lie, those five weeks have been a long, long hard and torturous haul for me. 

 

Some people will say that we’re now on a slippery slope; but I see it as a break, a rest, a chance to enjoy the freewheel after an extremely long, and hard and arduous climb to the solstice. 

 

I’m looking forward to the increasing darkness, like welcoming an old friend who’s been away. 

 

I’m fully aware that summer 2023 has still got a fair few nasty tricks up its sleeve, but this corner/milestone now being turned/reached is something that needs celebrating! 

In other words, I’m going to be celebrating the fact that we’re now on our way out of summer, instead of on the way in! 

 

I’m also looking forward to the shortening of the days, gathering mists, and ripening fruits, as we now head towards autumn. 

 

Yes folks, cheer up; as there is darkness at the end of the tunnel! 

 

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old.  And darker days are drawing near. The winter winds will be much colder…

Quite a lot of words in that post, but not a single one I can agree with! Just goes to show how different we all are

Edited June 22, 2023 by ChannelThunder

[cheeky_monkey]

17 hours ago, CreweCold said:

Well I’m not sure how to answer that question. However here, in central UK the sun wouldn’t rise until 9.20 in December under BST. So would you want that trade off on a cold, damp December morning just for one extra hr of light in an evening that probably wouldn’t even be useable?

living where i do in my time zone and latitude i have exactly this..sunrise in Mid winter is well after 9am..and i can tell you moving from the UK that extra hour of dark in the morning really is brutal ...i really do detest getting up in the morning but it feels like the middle of the night due to it being pitch black outside 

[sarahng]

On 21/06/2023 at 15:58, Dangerous55019 said:

The time is 15:57 and at long, long last; the summer solstice has just occurred! 

 

Yes folks, the pendulum has finally reached the end of its stroke!

Speaking as a reverse S.A.D. sufferer this is truly as bad as it can get! Around five weeks ago, my part of the world entered the world of the lingering twilight; I’m not gonna lie, those five weeks have been a long, long hard and torturous haul for me. 

 

Some people will say that we’re now on a slippery slope; but I see it as a break, a rest, a chance to enjoy the freewheel after an extremely long, and hard and arduous climb to the solstice. 

 

I’m looking forward to the increasing darkness, like welcoming an old friend who’s been away. 

 

I’m fully aware that summer 2023 has still got a fair few nasty tricks up its sleeve, but this corner/milestone now being turned/reached is something that needs celebrating! 

In other words, I’m going to be celebrating the fact that we’re now on our way out of summer, instead of on the way in! 

 

I’m also looking forward to the shortening of the days, gathering mists, and ripening fruits, as we now head towards autumn. 

 

Yes folks, cheer up; as there is darkness at the end of the tunnel! 

 

The summer sun is fading as the year grows old.  And darker days are drawing near. The winter winds will be much colder…

Could  you please enlighten us as to why you like darkness?  I truly don't understand.