How Many Days Are in February 2017?

“Thirty days has September, April June and November. All the rest have 31, except for February, it’s the one, which only has 28 days clear, and 29 in each leap year.”

If you rely on the old poem above to remember how many days are in February it could steer you the wrong way. February is a much shorter month than most but it is also the only month which the number of days changes each year.

How Many Days Are in February?

The poem quoted above is a way many people remember how many days are in each month. As you may know the number of days in each month varies (usually between 30 and 31) but how many days are in February?

According to the poem there are generally 28, which is the case in 2017. However, if there is a leap year February will have 29 days instead of only 28. Regardless of the exact number of days in the month February is always shorter than the other months.

Why is February Shorter?

If you were wondering how many days are in February you may also be wondering why February is so much shorter. The history of the calendar can be a tad bit fuzzy but it is dated back to Roman times.

Originally the calendar started on March 1 and only had 10 months. It is said that February was given only 28 days because even numbers were considered to be unlucky. All other months on the calendar had either 29 or 31 days.

The calendar saw even more changes under Julius Caesar. He eliminated leap months from the calendar and made leap years occur more often (every four years). This is the calendar that most people go by now.

When is the Next Leap Year?

February has 28 days in 2017. However, every four years February has 29 days. So, when is the next leap year?

The last leap year was in 2016 and next leap year does not occur until 2020. Leap years occur every four years and the only month affected by altered days is February.

An easy way for Americans to remember which years are leap years and which aren’t is by our voting schedule. Americans vote for a new president once every four years (on the leap year). So, if it’s a presidential campaign year it is also a leap year.

Keeping track of your calendar has become easier over the years but what if you don’t have immediate access to your planner? For the most part you can remember how many day are in February by reciting the age-old poem from the beginning of the article.

How do you remember how many days are in February?

Photo: Dafne Cholet