Spring forward: Northern states to gain over 100 minutes of daylight in March
Daylight saving time paired with increasing daylight will bring brighter days for millions across North America, but the stronger sunlight could turn dangerous.
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March marks the changing of the seasons, with the first day of the month marking the start of meteorological spring. Milder weather may take time to fully take hold across the United States, but brighter days are ahead, which will impact the weather.
Much longer days are about to arrive
Days will become noticeably longer throughout March, with many areas of the country gaining 2 or 3 minutes of sunlight with each passing day. This will add up fast, and by March 31 the sun will be above the horizon more than an hour longer than on March 1 for most of the United States.
Across the northernmost states, over 100 minutes of daylight will be gained throughout March, including in Seattle.
Following the equinox on March 20, the balance of day vs. night will shift in favor of brightness, with the days lasting longer than 12 hours, while the nights shorten to less than 12 hours across the entire Northern Hemisphere.
Daylight saving time to usher in later sunsets
The biggest sunlight shift will take place on Sunday, March 9, as daylight saving time begins. Clocks will "spring forward" one hour, resulting in later sunrises and later sunsets. In Philadelphia, sunset will occur after 7 p.m. following the changing of the clocks, the latest sunset in the city since mid-September.
Daylight saving time will continue throughout the summer and well into autumn, ending on Nov. 2, 2025.
A bee flies in the back light of the sun to a flowering tree. (Photo by Armin Weigel/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Stronger sunlight impacts the weather and can be dangerous
It's not just how long the sun is in the sky that will make a difference throughout the spring. Across the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is gradually climbing higher in the sky, resulting in more direct sunlight than during the weeks around the December solstice when the sun appears lower in the sky.
The uptick in duration and intensity of sunlight has a direct connection with the weather, especially during spells of late-season wintry conditions. Even if it's cloudy outside, the stronger sunlight in March makes it more difficult for snow to accumulate during the daytime, except during a major snowstorm or during heavy snow squalls.
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Farther south, the stronger sunlight brings a new danger. The glass windows of vehicles act like a greenhouse, and on a sunny day, it can become dangerously hot inside in a matter of minutes -- even with the windows cracked.
In 2023, there were two hot car deaths reported well before summer arrived, including a 2-year-old in Alabama on Feb. 27, and another child in Florida on March 6.
"Children have died from heatstroke in cars when outside temperatures were as low as 60 degrees," Kids and Car Safety said on its website. "If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. Call 911 immediately. If the child seems hot or sick, get them out of the vehicle as quickly as possible."
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