As fall gets underway, sunset times are getting earlier.
WASHINGTON — It won’t be long before we are driving home with the headlights on. It’s about to start getting dark a lot sooner!
In the D.C. area, the slow fade of summer is becoming more obvious with each passing day, not in the temperatures just yet, but in the sky. The sun is setting earlier now, shaving off at least a minute from the evening light as we move toward the official start of fall.
By Saturday sunset in D.C. will have already crept down to around 7:19 p.m., and by the end of the month, it will fall before 7. By Sept. 30, the sun will be setting around 6:51 p.m. What felt like long, lingering evenings just weeks ago are now getting noticeably shorter. Streets that once glowed with light during dinner hour are shifting into dusk much faster.
The earlier darkness means porch lights are flicking on sooner, commutes home happen under fading skies, and evening jogs may need a reflective vest. It’s a quiet, predictable change but one that always seems to catch the city by surprise or bring on the dread of less sunshine.
By Oct. 12, the sun will set around the D.C. region at 6:33 p.m. and, by Nov. 12, the sun will set around 4:56 p.m.
Fall officially starts on Sept. 22 at 2:19 p.m. As fall gets underway, the earth tilts away from the sun, brining shorter days and cooler temperatures. Winter starts Dec. 21 at 10:03 a.m.
When To Turn Back The Clocks
And if you’re wondering when it’s time to turn the clocks back, that day is Nov. 2 at 2 a.m. Sunset on that day is at 5:06 p.m.
Published Date : 2025-09-13 15:53:00
Source : www.wusa9.com
