Bastrop, TX: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in Bastrop
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:21 am and sets at 5:34 pm: 10h 12m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 05m, so the swing is 3h 53m.
When it gets better in Bastrop
- Earliest sunset: 5:29 pm on Dec 2, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:26 am on Jan 9.
- Daylight never drops below 10 hours here.
- By Feb 21 the days grow by 1.7 minutes a day.
Waking and coming home in the dark
With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 144 weekdays a year. Heading home at 5:30 pm, it has already set on 15. 15 weekdays start and end in the dark. The alarm and lamp guide shows how that compares across the country.
At 30.1°N this sits between Sarasota FL (27°N, 1.4%) and Nashua NH (43°N, 9.7%) in a 1990 survey of winter depression by latitude.
What to do about it in Bastrop
- A sunrise alarm clock is worth getting here: on 67 weekdays the sun is still at least 20 minutes from rising at 7:00 am. Dark mornings run from Aug 21 to Apr 16, so set it up before Aug 21.
- Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:21 am to 5:34 pm window on the shortest day does more than most people expect.
- If you head home at 5:30 pm, the sun has already set from Nov 23 to Dec 11: worth checking your bike lights and porch light before Nov 23.
Daylight in Bastrop, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 12m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 6:42 am | 8:30 pm | 13h 48m |
| August 2026 | 7:00 am | 8:04 pm | 13h 04m |
| September 2026 | 7:17 am | 7:27 pm | 12h 10m |
| October 2026 | 7:35 am | 6:52 pm | 11h 17m |
| November 2026 | 7:00 am | 5:30 pm | 10h 31m |
| December 2026 | 7:21 am | 5:34 pm | 10h 12m |
| January 2027 | 7:25 am | 5:57 pm | 10h 32m |
| February 2027 | 7:04 am | 6:22 pm | 11h 19m |
| March 2027 | 7:32 am | 7:41 pm | 12h 09m |
| April 2027 | 6:56 am | 8:00 pm | 13h 04m |
| May 2027 | 6:32 am | 8:20 pm | 13h 47m |
| June 2027 | 6:28 am | 8:34 pm | 14h 05m |
Bastrop against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with Bastrop (10h 12m, sunset 5:34 pm):
- Elgin, TX, 17 mi away: 10h 11m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:33 pm (-1 min).
- Manor, TX, 22 mi away: 10h 11m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:34 pm (0 min).
- Lockhart, TX, 27 mi away: 10h 13m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 5:36 pm (+2 min).
- Pflugerville, TX, 29 mi away: 10h 11m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:34 pm (0 min).
- Austin, TX, 29 mi away: 10h 11m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:35 pm (+1 min).