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Days are getting longer

December 21st is usually regarded as the shortest day of the year. After December 21st we start to gain daylight overall. It's a little deceiving, however.

The sunset actually starts happening later in the evening starting December 12th. You might have already noticed that it's still light a few minutes later than in early December. The sunrise, however, doesn't start getting earlier until January 9th. Once we get past January 9th, we are gaining daylight on both ends of the day. Until then, enjoy the darker mornings and sleep in if you can.

Lots of daylight growth in January

From now until the end of January we are going to gain 49 minutes of daylight. Yes, we will have days that are almost an hour longer by February 1st.

Most of the daylight growth occurs at sunset. We will gain 33 minutes of daylight at the end of the day, and only 16 minutes at sunrise. We'll take it anywhere we can get it. I don't about you, but I'm a sunset person more than a sunrise lover.

You'll really notice the sunset by February 10th. That date is when the sun sets around six o'clock. You get off work, and notice that it's still light when you get home. Working in television all my career, early February is when I notice we don't need lights for any outdoor weather live shots. It seems to happen all at once, like a light switch was flipped.

With more light comes heat

I want to continue to give those that don't enjoy winter a good shot in the arm! If we gain 49 minutes of daylight this month it has to translate to warmth as some point. It does, but for Spring lovers it is painfully slow.

The extra sunlight finally shows up as warmth in our normal high temperatures around February 1st, but It really depends on where you live.

If you want the earliest warm up, live in Flint. For whatever reason the normal high temperature in Flint goes from 29 degrees on January 25th to 30 degrees on January 26th. It's all uphill from there.

Most areas see the normal high temperatures start to go up in the first week of February. Detroit goes from a normal high of 32 degrees on the last day of January to 33 degrees starting February. All of the other cities in southern Michigan do the same in the first few days of February.

I know it's a stretch, since we most likely have our harshest winter weather yet to come. But there is light at the end of the "winter tunnel." If you can get by until early February, I can give Spring lovers another shot in the arm. February is a month we can really talk about weather statistics hinting toward Spring. So hang in there, and in the meantime enjoy the longer days.

Are you a sunrise person or a sunset lover, and why? They both look the same.