WEST MICHIGAN — It's almost that time again—time to "spring forward" as Daylight Saving Time approaches! Since the calendar turned to March and temperatures thawed out over the past week (with the exception of the weekend), it's easy to feel like spring is on the way.
Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday, March 9 at 2 a.m. as we "spring forward". This makes sunrises and sunsets an hour later (see above) and we will "lose" an hour of sleep as the time changes from 1:59 a.m. to 3 a.m.
It's also a good idea during these time changes to check your smoke detectors to make sure they're working properly, and replace any old batteries with fresh ones.
The amount of daylight increased significantly in February, and even now in early March having sunset after 6:30 p.m. helps us feel like we are over the hump of winter. Between February 20 and March 6, the day length increased almost 45 minutes! Days will continue to get around longer until the summer solstice on June 20th, when Grand Rapids has a day length of over 13 hours!
In terms of temperatures here in West Michigan, we can also look forward to some mild air. This week's low pressure system will drag in some colder air for Thursday, but the temperatures quickly rebound this weekend to at or above average.
For the 6-10 day timeframe (March 8-12) the forecast trend favors above average temperatures for most of the middle and eastern U.S.
Similarly, for the 8-14 day time period (March 10-16) there is high confidence of above average temperatures for areas along and east of I-35.
For the latest details on the weather in West Michigan, head to the FOX 17 Weather page.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
