Residents of the Rural Municipality (RM) of Stanley, Manitoba, are noticing longer days this February as sunsets move past 6:00 PM in late February for the first time in months. For many workers and families along the Morden–Winkler corridor, the change marks the end of the darkest winter commutes.
According to solar calculators used for the region, sunsets pass the 6:00 PM threshold in late February. Exact dates depend on the precise coordinates used: the RM of Stanley calculation is cited in local reporting as around Feb. 24, 2026, while nearby Morden’s published sunset table shows the first 6:00+ PM sunset closer to Feb. 20, 2026. By the end of February, sunsets in the area are generally between about 6:06 and 6:14 PM, depending on location.
Data from WeatherSpark show the area gains roughly three minutes of daylight per day on average during this period. That extra evening light improves visibility on rural roads such as Provincial Highways 3 and 14. Provincial wildlife and road-safety resources note most deer‑vehicle collisions happen at dusk and dawn, so more daylight during the evening commute can be an important safety factor.
Municipal officials and community groups say they typically see increased use of local walking trails and outdoor skating rinks as the evenings get brighter. Since the winter solstice in late December, the RM of Stanley has gained roughly an hour and 40 minutes of total daylight.
Those daylight gains arrive gradually over February, but the shift is often felt quickly in daily life — boosting community morale after the darkest weeks of winter. The added afternoon sunlight can also begin to warm road surfaces and help surface ice and snow start to melt, easing late-afternoon travel in some conditions.
