Ready for more daylight in the evening? Here’s when KY will start seeing longer days
Kentucky commuters sick of driving home in the dark won’t have to wait much longer.
In less than a month, you’ll gradually see more daylight creep into your afternoon and evenings, with later sunsets after the winter solstice Sunday, Dec. 21. Still, it will be a while yet before that shift is noticeable.
Here’s when you can expect to have more sunlight in the evening hours for after-work errands or commutes, along with what forecasters are saying about the winter weather outlook.
When will Lexington get more light in the evenings?
The length of the day and sunset times have been gradually decreasing and shortening since the summer solstice June 20.
On summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, Lexington recorded a day length of more than 14 hours. The sun rose at 6:15 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time and set as late as 9:03 p.m.
Jump to November, when you’re likely driving home in the dark or near dark. The sun set as early as 5:20 p.m. Nov. 24, according to online clock Timeanddate.com.
Lexington won’t see sunsets after 6 p.m. again until February, specifically Sunday, Feb. 1, when the sun rises at 7:42 a.m. and sets at 6:01 p.m. That makes for a total day length of 10 hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds.
Sunsets after 7 p.m. return again in March when Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 8, and we all “spring forward” one hour.
But before the length of the day can get longer, it first has to get shorter. This is most noticeable in December leading up to the winter solstice Dec. 21, which marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
Sunrises will gradually occur later, and sunsets earlier, in the lead up to the solstice. By Dec. 21, the sun will rise at 7:50 a.m. and set at 5:21 p.m., for a total day length of 9 hours, 31 minutes and 23 seconds. After that date, the length of day slowly but steadily begins growing again.
If the concept of enduring the darkest days of the year makes you groan, know many cultures around the world have been doing it for centuries. Many mark the transition with holidays and celebrations, from Indigenous peoples in North America to China and Japan.
What is the winter outlook for Central Kentucky in 2025-26?
The Climate Prediction Center, which issues seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks, notes December, January and February have a decent chance of bringing above-normal precipitation to Northern and Western Kentucky.
Temperature, on the other hand, has equal chances of being above or below normal for the season, except in Southeast Kentucky, which is leaning above normal.
A weak La Niña is expected this winter. Under such conditions, cool sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean typically bring warmer and drier winters across the Sun Belt, while northern states see cool, wet weather.
In Kentucky, the effect can be hard to predict, though weak La Niña episodes tend to bring additional precipitation. Their influence on temperature here is more of a mixed bag.
Several weather forecasters are predicting an active December for Kentucky in terms of cold weather and snow chances.