Yes, the Days Are Already Getting Shorter Here in Minnesota
We're only a day removed from the longest day of the year, but, sure enough, our daylight hours are already getting shorter here in Minnesota.
Tuesday was the longest day of the year in Minnesota this year
I've always called it the First Day of Summer, but technically, its actual name is the summer solstice. And here in Minnesota, it's the longest day of the year. Okay, the day itself was the same 24 hours as every other day, but June 21st this year marked the day with the most minutes of daylight hours in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
But now the days are actually getting shorter
But now, starting today, the second full day of summer (Wednesday, June 22nd) the amount of daylight in each day is already starting to decrease. Which means, yes, our days ARE getting shorter. (Okay, again the days are still the same length, but the minutes of sunlight do start to decrease starting today.)
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Right now, of course, there's still way more sunshine. But the amount of daylight each day continues to decrease and on September 21st, we have an equal amount of daylight and darkness. Then, we continue losing minutes of daylight all the way until the winter solstice on December 21st, which is the shortest day of the year.
Here's how much daylight we're now losing each day
So how much daylight are we losing these days here in Minnesota? Well, according to Reference.com, we're losing about a minute every three days. Which, if I do my math correctly, equals out to about 20 seconds a day.
Which, of course, isn't much at all. But as summer progresses, though, the amount of daylight we lose each day increases, as well. This is, of course, a subtle change from the spring, when the minutes of daylight was still increasing. And if you're troubled by this little quirk of nature that means our days are already getting shorter-- even though it's only the second full day of summer-- then you should also be pretty happy about what happens on December 21st.
But here's a reason to look forward to December 21st
Besides December 21st being just a few days away from Christmas, it's also the winter solstice, or the day with the smallest amount of daylight. But it's also after that day that the amount of minutes of daylight each day actually begins to increase in Minnesota as we slowly start our slow trek towards spring.
The key to making the most of our short summertime in Minnesota is to get out and enjoy all those great events and activities. Keep scrolling to check out some great summer fun ideas to take part in this year!
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