When Does It Start Getting Lighter After Winter?

The answer depends on your definition of "lighter." If you mean the earliest evening sunsets begin to reverse, that happens within days of the winter solstice around December 21. If you mean the mornings start getting brighter earlier, that typically lags by two to three weeks. So when does it start getting lighter after winter? The simple fact is that the turning point is the solstice itself, though the experience of lighter evenings comes first, and mornings follow later.

The Solstice Sets the Turning Point

The winter solstice marks the moment when the Sun reaches its southernmost declination, resulting in the shortest day and longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. After this date—usually December 21 or 22—the Sun’s daily arc begins to creep northward again. This means sunset times start moving later almost immediately. However, sunrise times continue to get later for a while longer, which is why mornings feel dark for weeks after the solstice.

To look back at the mechanics of this shortest day, read more about the winter solstice.

Why Mornings Lag Behind Evenings

The asymmetry between sunset and sunrise recovery comes down to the Earth’s elliptical orbit and axial tilt. Around the solstice, the Sun’s apparent motion northward is slowest. Meanwhile, the equation of time—the difference between solar time and clock time—causes sunrise to shift later by roughly one to two minutes per day in the weeks after the solstice. This delay is compounded at higher latitudes. For example, at 50°N, sunrise might not start getting earlier until the first week of January, while sunset has already been gaining a minute or two each evening since December 22.

The net result is that the total daylight period slowly lengthens, but the morning dark persists. If you want to know the precise rate of change for your location, check the table of minutes of daylight gained per day in the weeks after the solstice.

How Latitude Affects the Turning Point

Your location on the globe dramatically changes your experience of "lighter" after winter. The closer you are to the equator, the less variation there is—day length changes by only a few minutes year-round, so the effect is negligible. But move toward the Arctic Circle, and the turning point becomes dramatic.

For instance, in Reykjavík, Iceland (64°N), the Sun barely rises above the horizon in late December, and daylight lasts only about four hours. The evening light gains quickly after the solstice, but mornings remain dark until mid-January. In contrast, in London (51.5°N), the delay is smaller, and you can notice a clear improvement in evening light by Christmas Day. For a deeper look at one specific mid-latitude country, see the patterns of daylight in the UK.

What "Lighter" Actually Means: Twilight Types

To complicate matters, "lighter" can refer to the quality of daylight, not just sunrise and sunset times. Astronomers define three types of twilight, each based on the Sun's depression below the horizon:

• Civil twilight: Sun 0-6° below horizon; enough light for outdoor activities without artificial light. This extends after sunset and before sunrise.
• Nautical twilight: Sun 6-12° below; horizon still visible at sea, but general outlines are clear.
• Astronomical twilight: Sun 12-18° below; sky fully dark for amateur astronomy once the Sun passes 18°.

In winter, at mid-latitudes, the Sun may never dip far enough below the horizon to reach astronomical twilight during the shortest days. That means the sky remains in a perpetual civil or nautical twilight state near noon, making it feel "lighter" than sunrise tables suggest. As the solstice passes, the noon Sun climbs higher, shortening the duration of true darkness. So when does it start getting lighter? For the sky's overall brightness, the change is immediate after the solstice, because the Sun's altitude at noon increases from day one.

Tracking the Change Day by Day

If you want to feel the turning point, pay attention to the evenings. In London, for example, sunset on December 21 is around 15:53 GMT. By December 31, it has already moved to 16:05, a gain of 12 minutes. By January 15, sunset is at 16:25, and the evenings feel noticeably longer. Mornings catch up later: sunrise on January 1 is still at 08:06, but by January 15 it has finally reached 07:56, marking the first signs of earlier dawns.

The table below shows a typical mid-latitude progression (times approximate for London):

You can use our calendar to track the returning light for your specific city, with precise daily sunrise and sunset times.

The question "when does it start getting lighter" has no single answer—it depends on whether you care about evenings, mornings, or overall sky brightness. The winter solstice begins the process, but mornings take two to three extra weeks to reverse. The rate of change is fastest in late January, when you gain several minutes of daylight each week. By mid-February, the days are already notably longer, and the deep winter darkness is clearly retreating. Pay attention to the sunset times: they are the first reliable sign that spring is on its way.