A Look on the Bright Side

Seems like we see more gray than any other color during the winter months...  Shrinking piles of snow that turn from white to dark and endless cloud cover, something I like to call the "Winter Doldrums". But, the past two days we've enjoyed a decent amount of sunshine. So... it got us thinking about sun percentages in the CBS58 weather office, this afternoon.  One thing we do know for sure, slowly but surely, our days are getting longer. As the sun angle continues to creep higher in the skyline, we'll feel the sun getting stronger too.

From the Winter Solstice to today's date our sun angle has increased by almost eight degrees. And as we inch toward the first day of spring, that angle then jumps to 46.5°.

Additionally, our daylight period gets longer too. Take a look at the change in sunrise and sunset times from the 1st to the 29th of this month. (This year is a leap year!)

While all this is great news for sun lovers, the month of February isn't exactly known to be one of our sunnier months. In fact, looking back through the last five years reveals that only one in five days will come with full sunshine in Milwaukee.  Here's a breakdown of sky conditions during February, the last five years.

Looking ahead in the forecast will bring just limited sun, the first chance of which arrives tomorrow. Saturday will feature clouds with some sun, but Sunday looks rather cloudy. Monday and Tuesday of next week will also be generally overcast, as a storm system lingers overhead. By Wednesday, the sun returns, along with the cold.

I'm meteorologist Rebecca Schuld