Days Are Getting Longer, So When Do We ‘Spring Forward?’

Ever since the Winter Solstice, also known as the first day of astronomical winter and the shortest day of the year on December 21st, our days have been slowly getting longer again.

Astronomical winter runs from the Winter Solstice to the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox, which falls on March 20th in 2025. Meteorological Winter runs from December first through the end of February.

The length of day here in Minnesota (and the rest of the northern hemisphere) is mainly determined by the angle of the earth's axis relative to the sun.

Get our free mobile app

The Cycle of Day Length in the Northern Hemisphere

• Winter Solstice: Shortest day of the year. (December 21, 2024)
• Spring (or Vernal) Equinox: Equal amount of daylight and darkness. (March 20, 2025)
• Summer Solstice: Longest day of the year. (June 20, 2025)
• Fall (or Autumnal) Equinox: Equal amount of daylight and darkness. (September 22, 2025)

Essentially the days get longer between the winter solstice and the summer solstice, and shorter between the summer solstice and the winter solstice.

How Fast Do Days Get Longer (or Shorter)?

Although the day's technically start getting longer following the winter solstice, it happens very slowly to start, just as its a slow shorting of days near the summer solstice.

The rate of daylight change is not steady throughout the year. By the time we reach the middle of January, we're gaining about two minutes of daylight per day. By mid-February we start picking up steam -- adding about three minutes per day. The pattern repeats itself following the summer solstice, losing daylight at about the same rates.

By the end of January, we will have added nearly an hour of daylight across southern Minnesota compared to the winter solstice back on December 21st.

Days Are Getting Longer, So When Do We Spring Forward?

There has been a lot of discussion lately about putting an end to our biannual time changes in the spring and fall, but for now Daylight Saving Time is still a thing in most of the U.S. (including here in Minnesota).

We officially 'spring forward' into Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 am on Sunday, March 9th, 2025.