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Why the days in Norway are about to get a lot lighter

The Local Norway
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Why the days in Norway are about to get a lot lighter
Tromsø on January 14th. Photo: AFP

The darkest part of the winter is over, and the days will soon become noticeably longer.

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North Norway will get as much as 15 minutes more light each day from this point in the year, while the south of the country will also enjoy noticeably lighter days as the winter enters its latter stages.

The days have actually been getting since the winter solstice on December 22nd, but the difference does not become noticeable to the casual observer until late January.

“We are now getting the sun back. During the next four months, we will go from polar night to midnight sun [in North Norway, ed.], which means the sun is above the horizon 24 hours a day. It will get light quicker in the north than in the south,” MET Norway meteorologist John Smits told NRK.

Meanwhile, Tuesday is ‘sun day’ in Tromsø, the day the sun is seen for the first time in months as the polar night comes to an end. Although the sun has been rising in Tromsø since January 15th, mountain cover means it takes a bit longer to become visible.

“We will see a fast increase in daylight hours. Tromsø will get around 15 minutes more daylight each day from now on,” Smits told NRK.

That compares to daily daylight increases of 5 minutes in Trondheim, 8 minutes in Bodø, and around 4 minutes in Oslo, Bergen and Stavanger.

“More warmth and light from the sun are things people probably will be pleased to get. And the polar night can affect sleeping patterns. But it now won’t be long until it’s light all hours of the day,” Smits said.

READ ALSO: Here are the facts you need to know about North Norway's polar night

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