It’s a milestone week for most of Wisconsin as we cross a threshold not seen since early November.

What You Need To Know

  • The days of sunsets before 5 p.m. are over

  • We rapidly gain evening daylight through February

  • Sunsets after 7 p.m. are not too far away

Statistically, this is the coldest time of the year. Our average maximum and minimum daily readings are at their lowest.

It’s easy to hone in on the chill in the air, but there’s something else going on that may have been overlooked: our sunsets are getting later.

For the first time in 12 weeks, we are seeing the sun set past 5 p.m. now.

Our total daylight hours continue to grow as we make the slow march toward the official start of spring, aided by these later sunsets. 

How much longer until we have 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. sunsets? Here’s the answer:

Why do the 7 p.m. sunsets kick in right after the 6 p.m. ones? It’s because of Daylight Saving Time starting on March 10; this will push the clocks forward one hour.

In short, we only have approximately 40 days left until the sun is setting around 7 p.m.. It will be here before we know it.

It may be staying lighter longer in the evening now, but it will take a while for the temperatures to respond to that extra daylight. The frosty winter days are far from over—this is Wisconsin after all—but at least the days are getting a little brighter. 

Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.