Winter milestones: The darkest (and coldest) stretch of the year is coming to an end

New England is gradually transitioning out of the coldest days of the year, climatologically, with increasing daylight hours/sun angle as a key factor.

This week marks significant milestones in this transition. Boston, for instance, has the first sunsets before 7 a.m. on Wednesday since Dec. 6, signaling that we're close to the end of the darkest three-month stretch known as solar winter.

By Saturday, the sun will set after 5 p.m., officially concluding solar winter.

The winter solstice on Dec. 21 marked the shortest day of the year, with 9 hours and 4 minutes of daylight. However, by Friday, we'll be back to 10 hours of daylight, with the duration of daylight hours increasing by about 2-3 minutes daily throughout February.

With the presence of more daylight, daily normal temperatures are on the rise. Climatologically, we are moving away from the coldest average high temperatures as we enter February. The lowest average highs, around 36 degrees, are observed in mid-January. This gradually increases to 39 degrees by mid-February and reaches the low 40s by March 1.

As we embrace increased daylight, the region is on an upswing as we have made it through the midpoint of meteorological winter.