Days will get longer in January: Which cities will gain the most daylight?

(NEXSTAR) — The dark days of winter have been upon us for weeks now but that trend will soon be coming to an end, especially in some parts of the country that will gain an hour of daylight in January.

We have already surpassed the "shortest" day of winter — the day in which we see the fewest daylight hours — in late December. Some places in the U.S. had just six hours of sunlight that day.

Thankfully, the days have slowly been getting longer ever since. That trend will only ramp up through January.

Those in Alaska will see the biggest increase in daylight hours this month. On Jan. 1 in Anchorage, the sun rose at 10:14 a.m. and set around 3:53 p.m. local time, giving the city less than six hours of daylight. By the end of the month, the sun will rise at 9:23 a.m. and set after 5 p.m., NOAA’s Solar Calculator shows, giving Anchorage seven hours and 41 minutes of daylight.

Areas closest to the Canadian border, like Seattle and Minnesota's northern tip, will gain about an hour of daylight through January. But, as you move further south in the Lower 48, the increase will not be nearly as drastic.

In Key West, Florida, residents started 2025 with 10 hours and 40 minutes of daylight. When January ends, they'll have about 11 hours and 3 minutes of daylight: a gain of only 23 minutes. Similarly, Honolulu will only gain about 20 minutes.

The table below shows how much daylight — or how little daylight — cities across the U.S. will gain through January:

Don't see your city on the list? You can use NOAA's Solar Calculator, found here, to compare your sunrise and sunset times.

While our days will continue to get "longer" until the summer solstice on June 20 (we start to slowly lose daylight afterward), there will be a brief interruption when daylight saving time begins in March. Initially, this means we will perceive the sun as rising earlier — but it will quickly shift earlier as the days get longer.

It's also possible that March is the last time we observe daylight saving time. In December, President-elect Donald Trump said he would push to eliminate the “inconvenient” and “costly” practice of daylight saving time (something the U.S. has tried before with little success).

It's too soon to tell whether this will happen or whether permanent daylight saving or permanent standard time would be observed, but most recent federal attempts have pushed for the former.

Topics

Punks distribute toys to children in need for Three Kings Day in Mexico City

Thirty-five years ago José Luis Escobar Hoyos wanted to show his mother that being a punk wasn’t just about dressing in chains and spikes and listening to loud, accelerated music
ABC News - 1h
Is it true that … breakfast is the most important meal of the day?

Fans of the full English will be horrified by the trend for fasting, but does this argument hold sway with our expert?. “People get very passionate about breakfast, and whether they eat it or not,” ...
The Guardian - 7h
Punks distribute toys to children in need for Three Kings Day in Mexico City

Yahoo News - 2h
London is Europe’s most congested city, with drivers sat in traffic an average 101 hours last year

The capital beats Paris and Dublin, in second and third place, as traffic congestion gets consistently worse. Much like its gridlocked traffic, London’s position as the most congested city in ...
The Guardian - 9h
Here’s what the first two trading days of January predict for stocks in 2025

The market can still deliver gifts even when the ‘Santa Claus rally’ fails.
MarketWatch - 2d
It’s tough at the top – but which business leader has the most at stake in 2025?

From post and planes to TV, phones and retail chains – and even a central bank – here are the chiefs facing the most testing of times. A year is a long time in business: enough time for things to ...
The Guardian - 2d
Pokemon Go Community Day Ticket Prices Increased For January Event

Each month, Pokemon Go players take part in the mobile game's Community Day: A recurring monthly event in which one Pokemon takes center stage and becomes available to catch in its Shiny form. ...
GameSpot - 2d
Trump has made a lot of Day One promises. Which will he keep?

Way up on his list of Day One priorities is his promise to begin rounding up and deporting immigrants who snuck into this country — and those who committed serious crimes would be the first to go.
The Hill - 3d
Pokemon Go January 2025 Events: Raids, Spotlight Hours, Community Day, And More

A new year has begun, and Pokemon Go is ushering it in with a variety of events and debuts. The game's Dual Destiny season continues with the arrival of several new Pokemon, including Fidough and ...
GameSpot - 4d