The Inland Northwest will lose almost 100 minutes of daylight this month
SPOKANE, Wash.– The Inland Northwest will lose close to 100 minutes of daylight over the next month before Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 7.
Right now, we’re losing 3 minutes and 23 seconds of light every day. That translates to one hour and 39 minutes lost in October.
The sun rose at 6:58 a.m. on Thursday, and one month from now after the time change the sun will rise at 6:43 a.m. That’s a 15 minute gain in morning light compared to now and a 59 minute gain from Nov. 6 to 7.
The thing is, you can change the time on the clock, but you can’t make up those 100 minutes we’re losing over the next 31 days. On November 6, the sun will set one hour and 54 minutes earlier than on October 7, 4:22 p.m. instead of 6:16 p.m.
Our northern position in the world means we gain and lose a lot of daylight each year. It’s hard to see on a traditional flat map, but Spokane is closer to Anchorage, Alaska, than Houston, Texas. No wonder our daylight, and our climate, share more in common with the former!
Speaking of Houston, heading south makes a big difference in the fall (and winter) sunshine. While the Northwest loses more than 90 minutes of light this month, that’s only 40 around the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf is a winter and spring tourist hotspot for a reason.
As for Daylight Saving Time, the “fall back” and “spring forward” are an inconvenience and subject of recent controversy you can read more about below.
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