The bill to make daylight saving time permanent passed the Senate and is heading to the House of Representatives. We would not notice the impact of this until the winter of 2023/2024 if the bill clears all the hurdles.
If the bill clears, it would make both sunsets and sunrises later through the winter by one hour.
What does this mean for Youngstown, Ohio?
Right now, the earliest sunset for our area is around 4:53 p.m. in December each year. The new sunset would be an hour later at 5:53 p.m. We currently do not get back to that late of a sunset until the middle of February each year.
Your Christmas Eve sunset would be at 5:58 p.m.
Right now, the latest sunrise for our area is around 7:47 a.m. starting in late December through early January each year. The new sunrise would be an hour later at 8:47 a.m. We currently do not have a sunrise that late throughout the year.
That would mean on Thanksgiving morning, the sun would rise at 8:20 a.m. and on New Year’s morning, the sun would rise at 8:47 a.m. Sleeping in until sunrise will bring a new meaning here in Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania.
The spring, summer and most of all fall would remain at the current sunrise and sunset as we remain on daylight saving time.
In the end, we would have darkness later in the morning and then more sun into the late afternoon through the winter months. The day is not shorter, or longer, as the earth will still orbit the sun in the same fashion. The clocks change, not the earth’s orbit around the sun.
We will still have the shortest day length around December 21 with 9 hours, 12 minutes and 48 seconds. It will just start later and end later on our clocks.
