Light rain has been falling through the night, and it continues this morning. And as I look outside now at 7:24, it is still too dark to bike safely through the city streets. The heavy cloud cover on this rainy day deepens and lengthens the darkness. Twilight has begun to dispel the dark, but it will be several minutes before I could consider riding.
Editing in a later comment at 7:51, it is now just light enough to start my biking, though my cutoff for departure has already passed at 7:40. Any later start would have me arriving too late at my desk, especially now early in the bike commuting season, when I am a bit slower in transit.
Daylight calculators
In these weeks after the change to Daylight Saving Time and before the change to Standard Time in the fall, I watch carefully for the point when I can safely be on the roads. I also consult several online calculators for understanding when the daylight will be suitable for biking. One site provides a
data presentation, one line for each day. (From the link, you need to select
your location and then select
See sunrise/sunset.) This presentation can be set for the current week or the current month. You can also chose among 3 groups of information for the columns.
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| timeanddate.com : week sun times |
Another site provides
similar presentation that highlights the line for today. (From this link, navigate to the very bottom of the long list of cities, and select
Sunrise sunset and current times. Then select
your location from the long list.) This presentation is not as concise, though it does present the information for today near the top of the data. I suspect this site also creates a pop-up window for ads, so make sure your browser prevents pop-ups. The ads between selections are also very obstrusive if your browser does not prevent ads.
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| timesunrisesunset.com : quarter sun times |
Another site creates a
calendar of the sunrise and sunset times. (From this link, select
More... from the world area you're interested in, then select
your state, then select
your city and other parameters, then select
Make calendar.)
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| sunrisesunset.com : March calendar |
Another site provides the
sunrise time for one day at a time. (From this link, enter the question "What time is (sunrise OR sunset) in (your state)?") The question-answer format allows little leeway in varying your question.
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| trueknowledge.com : sunrise today |
