Utqiaġvik (Barrow) Alaska has had its first sunrise since November 18, 2019.
First sunrise in Utqiaġvik (Barrow) since November 18, 2019. The sun rose today at America's farthest north city at 109 pm and set at 209 pm for 59 minutes 41 seconds of daylight. Tomorrow the daylight will be 1 hour, 36 minutes and 50 seconds. #AKWX pic.twitter.com/KTRswR39Q5
— NWS Fairbanks (@NWSFairbanks) January 24, 2020
The National Weather Service office in Fairbanks shared the information, pictured above. This village sits atop the state of Alaska and due to its location so far north, folks there don’t see the sunshine for part of the fall and winter seasons.
The sun just rose in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK, for the first time in 66 days. Good morning! @AlaskaWx @capture907 pic.twitter.com/o6kzl6o8lJ
— Brian Brettschneider (@Climatologist49) January 23, 2020
The reason Utqiaġvik (Barrow) doesn’t see the sun at all for part of the year is due to Earth’s tilt away from the sun during the months of November, December and January. The Earth’s tilt of 23.5° brings less sunshine to the Northern Hemisphere in the winter months and more sunshine during the summer months. Thus, Utqiaġvik (Barrow) will get sun *all day long* come May and June this year!
It must be a long, cold, and sometimes dreary winter during this time for folks in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), however brighter (literally) skies are ahead. Utqiaġvik (Barrow) had about 59 minutes of daylight on Thursday. Come Friday, the amount of sunlight will increase to 1 hour and roughly 36 minutes! That’s an incredible jump of daylight day-to-day.