Fargo-Moorhead is located near 46.9 degrees north latitude. Grand Forks resides at 47.9 degrees north. This means we are a bit closer to the North Pole than the equator. This means that for a majority of the year, the sun angle remains below 45 degrees off the southern horizon. Even at solar noon, the shadows are longer than the objects projecting them.
A week from tomorrow is the Autumnal Equinox, the halfway point from the apex of the solar summer to the nadir of the solar winter. This means the shadows will be getting longer and longer. From now through the end of the year, the decreasing solar angle and diminishing length of daylight work together to create a world of shadow. Cloudy days appear dark, even without precipitation, and on sunny days, the length of the shadows casts a mood as dark and long as the shadows, themselves.
