Let’s face it: Life is bleak this time of year. Waking up in the dark, finishing work in the dark, a day can go by in the blink of an eye. And after living through the wettest February on record, with March not looking much better, we’re even struggling for blue sky during the day. But don’t worry! Summer. Is. Coming.
Nights chilling by the canals, outdoor dining, beach trips, BBQs and Pimms. It’s all on the horizon – and there’s no better indicator than that Bristol will experience its first sunset after 6pm of 2024 this week (March 8) – just enough time to catch some rays after work.
We haven’t experienced a sunset that late in Birmingham since October 21, 2023, and won’t have to wait very long for Birmingham evenings to become starkly brighter again either. Thanks to steadily lengthening days and Daylight Saving Time on the horizon, by March 31 the sun will set at 7.42pm. Even better still, we’ll have to wait seven glorious, sun-filled months until the next Bristol sunset earlier than 6pm (October 21, 2024).
Of course, there’s still quite a chill in the air and it’s still very much winter spring. But let this be the news to get you excited about summer! Sit back and dream of music festivals, holidays, day trips, and all the other feel-good feelings associated with summer.
Fun Fact: The earliest sunset of 2023 happened only in mid-December at 3.53pm… so we’ve been steadily increasing since then! And the earliest sunset of 2024 is likely to happen at the same time as last year and will occur a week before the winter solstice (December 21, 2024).