The sun won't set before 6 p.m. in Toronto again for 8 months

The sun can be seen setting over Toronto. (Andre Furtado/Pexels)

As spring edges closer, the days are becoming longer, and soon, Torontonians will be soaking up the sun later into the evenings.

Friday marks the last day the sun will set earlier than 6 p.m. for more than eight months – setting at approximately 5:59 p.m., as the shortest days of winter begin to come to a close.

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME 2023

On March 12 at 2 a.m., clocks spring forward and the evenings will become even brighter. The clocks will remain an hour ahead before they’re turned back again on Nov. 5.

The day after the clocks change in March, the sun will set at 7:19 p.m. – about an hour later than the previous day – and continue to set later and later each night until June.

The longest day of the year in Ontario will take place on June 21, the summer solstice, when the sun will rise just after 5:30 a.m. and set at about 9:02 p.m.

On this day, there will be nearly six-and-a-half more hours of daylight than the Dec. 21 winter solstice.

The latest sunset in Ontario will take place just a few days after the summer solstice, between June 24 and 29, at 9:03 p.m.

In November 2020, Ontario passed legislation that could make daylight saving time permanent in the province.

Although the bill has received royal assent, it has yet to be proclaimed into force by the Lieutenant Governor. This can only happen if both New York and Quebec make the same change.

ONTARIO LONG-TERM FORECASTS

A snowstorm that hit Toronto this week left the city digging out from about 15 cm of snow, cancelled dozens of flights out of Toronto Pearson Airport, and saw nearly 200 vehicle collisions in the GTA.

Forecasts for the next few weekends suggest that, while the longers days will soon bring an air of spring, we won’t be kicking the winter weather quite yet. Environment Canada is predicting more snow and flurries in the Toronto area for the weekend of Feb. 25 and 26.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, Ontario will continue to see a “turbulent transition into warmth” throughout March.

The Almanac’s forecast for the first two weekends in March suggests no reprieve from the cold and wet weather. Light snow and flurries are currently expected intermittently from March 4 to 15.

Looking further ahead, the organization is predicting rain for both Easter weekend, which falls on April 9 in 2023, and Victoria Day long weekend from May 20 to May 22. Although showers are in the forecast for the May long weekend, by the time Victoria Day itself rolls around (May 22), the weather is expected to be “fair,” the organization says.

By June, the Almanac says the warmer summer weather should begin to kick into gear across Ontario.