How much daylight Portland gains as spring begins
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Portland may still be a little damp, but plants are beginning to bud, flowers are blooming, and — after the long, cold embrace of our northern winter — the days are getting longer.
Driving the news: Portland will gain more than three hours of daylight between the spring equinox Thursday and the June 20 summer solstice.
How it works: Here in the Northern Hemisphere, northern latitudes gain more daylight in the spring compared to areas closer to the equator as the sun's path through the sky shifts northward.
- The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, and the start of the sun's southward retreat, with shorter days to follow.
Zoom in: Right now our days are just over 12 hours long, with the sun aloft from about 7:15am to just before 7:30pm, per stats from NOAA.
- By the time we hit June, we'll be basking in over 15 hours of sunlight, with the sunrise just before 5:30 am, and the sunset not until around 9 pm.
Yes, but: Spring isn't all rosy.
- It's also prime pollen time, and allergy season is getting longer in many parts of the country.
The bottom line: Grab a picnic blanket, and maybe a box of tissues, and get ready for warmer days.