Expected Daylight Hours for Michiganders by Month

With the relentless cold, the constant winter weather alerts, and the need to grip the steering wheel tightly just to navigate to and from work, it's clear that Michigan is fully immersed in winter.

This year's Michigan winter is a stark contrast to last year's milder season. The absence of sunny skies has me yearning for the longer days ahead. To distract myself from the current conditions, let’s focus on the brighter days that lie ahead, month by month.

⬇️ OVER 20 BIRD SPECIES THAT WINTER IN MICHIGAN ⬇️

December has the shortest day of the year, with 2024's shortest day taking place on December 7th when the sun sets at 5:07 p.m.

一月

As it always does, the time has been slowly getting later from there. At the time of publication, 一月 13th, the sun is rising at 8:11 a.m. and setting at 5:31 p.m. in Grand Rapids for a total day length of 9 hours and 19 minutes.

February

On February 1st, Michiganders can expect the sunrise to begin just before 8 o'clock at 7:57 a.m. while the sun will set at 5:55 p.m., just outside the 6 p.m. hour for a total day length of 10 hours.

March

March 1st is when things will begin to feel like there is hope on the horizon to escape the seasonal depression many people suffer from. March 1st the sunrise at 7:18 a.m. and set at 6:32 p.m. for a day length of 11 hours and 14 minutes. The time change on March 9th will also help the days feel longer.

四月

四月 1st sees Grand Rapids break into the 8 p.m. sunset time, with the month starting with sunrise at 7:24 a.m. and sunset at 8:09 p.m. for a day length of 12 hours 45 minutes. These are the days I'm happy to be woken up by birds tweeting and critters doing their spring thing.

It's a bit mind-boggling to realize that all of this is happening in just a four-month period, and I'm really hoping that time will pass quickly.