United States Gains Up to 70 Minutes of Daylight Throughout May as the Summer Solstice Approaches
UNITED STATES — As May gets underway, daylight continues to increase across the entire country with Americans gaining anywhere from 30 to 70 additional minutes of sunlight throughout the month depending on location. The further north you live, the more daylight you gain as the calendar pushes toward the summer solstice.
How Much Daylight Each Region Gains in May
The daylight gain map shows a clear north-to-south gradient across the country:
Plus 70 Minutes — Northern tier: The greatest gains go to the northernmost states, including areas across northern Montana, North Dakota, and the northern border states. Cities near Bismarck sit in this zone.
Plus 60 Minutes — Pacific Northwest and upper Midwest: Seattle, Portland, Great Falls, Billings, Marquette, Detroit, Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. all gain approximately 60 additional minutes of daylight through May.
Plus 50 Minutes — Rockies and Great Lakes: Boise, Salt Lake City, Denver, Des Moines, Chicago, Louisville, Raleigh, and Atlanta sit in the plus 50 minutes zone.
Plus 40 Minutes — Southern Plains and mid-South: Reno, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Dodge City, Little Rock, Dallas, Charleston, and Jacksonville gain approximately 40 additional minutes of daylight.
Plus 30 Minutes — Deep South and Southern Florida: The smallest gains go to the southernmost communities. El Paso, Austin, Houston, Mobile, Tampa, and surrounding areas gain around 30 minutes of additional daylight through May.
Why the North Gains More Daylight Than the South
The reason northern cities gain significantly more daylight than southern ones comes down to the angle of the Earth’s tilt as it moves toward the summer solstice on June 21. Locations further from the equator experience a more dramatic swing in day length between seasons, meaning cities like Seattle and Bismarck see much larger daylight changes than cities like Houston and Tampa over the same period.
What This Means Heading Into Summer
By the end of May, most of the country will be enjoying noticeably longer evenings compared to the start of the month. For the northern tier, that means nearly 70 more minutes of usable daylight for outdoor activities, sports, and evening routines heading into June.
Stay with CabarrusWeekly.com for continuing weather and seasonal updates throughout May.
