Cairo, GA: shortest day and earliest sunset

The shortest day in Cairo

On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:31 am and sets at 5:39 pm: 10h 09m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 09m, so the swing is 4h 00m.

When it gets better in Cairo

• Earliest sunset: 5:35 pm on Dec 2, before the shortest day (here is why).
• Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:36 am on Jan 9.
• Daylight never drops below 10 hours here.
• By Feb 21 the days grow by 1.8 minutes a day.

Waking and coming home in the dark

With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 171 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 30.9°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 Cairo

• A sunrise alarm clock is worth getting here: on 101 weekdays the sun is still at least 20 minutes from rising at 7:00 am. Dark mornings run from Aug 11 to Apr 23, so set it up before Aug 11.
• Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:31 am to 5:39 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 Cairo, month by month

Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 09m.

Cairo against the places around it

On the shortest day, compared with Cairo (10h 09m, sunset 5:39 pm):

• Thomasville, GA, 14 mi away: 10h 09m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:39 pm (0 min).
• Bainbridge, GA, 22 mi away: 10h 09m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:41 pm (+2 min).
• Tallahassee, FL, 30 mi away: 10h 11m of daylight (+2 min), sunset 5:41 pm (+2 min).
• Moultrie, GA, 32 mi away: 10h 07m of daylight (-2 min), sunset 5:37 pm (-2 min).
• Albany, GA, 48 mi away: 10h 05m of daylight (-4 min), sunset 5:38 pm (-1 min).