(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — If you’re not a huge fan of the lack of daylight this time of year, then the FOX21 Storm Team has some good news for you: the darkness is retreating.

Now that the Winter Solstice has come and gone, the amount of daylight we receive is starting to increase. Slowly but surely.

Notice that areas closer to the equator, like Mexico and South Texas, will be gaining daylight a bit slower than areas farther North. Here in Southern Colorado, the mid-latitudes will gain about 40 minutes of sunlight by the end of January.

Areas farther north, such as Montana, will gain about an hour of daylight back by the end of the month. The reason for this difference is that the Earth’s tilt causes a more drastic sun angle for folks up north. The tilt is less noticeable for areas closer to the equator.

Along with the increase in daylight, the sun will start to set later and later. For the months of January and February, 6 PM will still look almost completely dark. By March and April though, a noticeable difference will take place as the sun hangs around a bit longer in the day.

Also, remember the benefits of Daylight Saving Time beginning on March 10 this year, and will see a big jump in how late our sunsets are at that point.

The seasons will also start to change here relatively quickly. Meteorological Winter encompasses the months of December, January, and February where temperatures are pretty stagnant in the 40s.

However, for Meteorological Spring, Colorado sees an exponential increase in expected temperatures throughout the three-month stretch. Temperatures in early March will start to reach the 50s, and then by the end of May, temperatures are back in the 70s. Change is on the way.