Here’s how fast SC will lose daylight following the summer solstice
South Carolina is in full blown summer, but the long periods of daylight have already begun to shorten.
While it has felt like summer for a while in the Palmetto State, the season only officially kicked off on June 21 with the astronomical event called the summer solstice.
The summer solstice occurs each year for anyone living in the Northern Hemisphere when the Earth is tilting mostly toward the sun, according to Farmers Almanac. The summer solstice is actually not on the same day every year because it is not based on a specific calendar date or time. It depends on when the sun reaches the northernmost point from the equator, which can occur anywhere between June 20-22.
And why does the solstice matter in regards to daylight?
Well, it’s because days begin to shorten following the summer solstice.
Days shortening for SC
The days in South Carolina have already shortened since last week and will continue to progressively shorten. That means less sunlight each day for outdoor activities.
The days will slowly get shorter during the summer at daily intervals through the fall season, Time and Date states.
A chart by Time and Date shows that sunset times gradually decrease each day in minutes. By the end of June, South Carolina will have lost roughly 2 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice, leaving about about 14 hours and 23 minutes. By the end of July, the state will have lost about 34 minutes.
By the fall equinox on Sept. 22, the first day of fall, the sunrise for Columbia, South Carolina, for example, will be at 7:22 a.m., while sunset will be at 7:21 p.m., leaving 12 hours and 9 minutes in the day. The winter solstice in on Dec. 21 will have about 9 hours and 53 minutes in the day.
