Bradenton, FL: shortest day and earliest sunset

The shortest day in Bradenton

On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:16 am and sets at 5:41 pm: 10h 24m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 13h 53m, so the swing is 3h 29m.

When it gets better in Bradenton

• Earliest sunset: 5:35 pm on Nov 30, before the shortest day (here is why).
• Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:22 am on Jan 12.
• Daylight never drops below 10 hours here.
• By Feb 21 the days grow by 1.5 minutes a day.

Waking and coming home in the dark

With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 148 weekdays a year. Heading home at 5:30 pm, it has already set on 0. 0 weekdays start and end in the dark. The alarm and lamp guide shows how that compares across the country.

At 27.5°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 Bradenton

• A sunrise alarm clock is worth considering if you get up at 7:00 am or earlier: 58 weekday mornings here are still properly dark at that hour, mostly between Aug 13 and Apr 21.
• Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:16 am to 5:41 pm window on the shortest day does more than most people expect.
• Heading home at 5:30 pm, you get at least some daylight all year here.

Daylight in Bradenton, month by month

Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 24m.

Bradenton against the places around it

On the shortest day, compared with Bradenton (10h 24m, sunset 5:41 pm):

• Palmetto, FL, 2 mi away: 10h 24m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:41 pm (0 min).
• Sarasota, FL, 11 mi away: 10h 25m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 5:41 pm (0 min).
• St. Petersburg, FL, 19 mi away: 10h 23m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:40 pm (-1 min).
• Gulfport, FL, 20 mi away: 10h 23m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:41 pm (0 min).
• Pinellas Park, FL, 27 mi away: 10h 23m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:40 pm (-1 min).