Columbus, GA: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in Columbus
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:37 am and sets at 5:38 pm: 10h 01m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 17m, so the swing is 4h 17m.
When it gets better in Columbus
- Earliest sunset: 5:34 pm on Dec 3, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:42 am on Jan 8.
- Daylight never drops below 10 hours here.
- By Feb 21 the days grow by 1.9 minutes a day.
Waking and coming home in the dark
With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 177 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 32.5°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 Columbus
- A sunrise alarm clock is worth getting here: on 113 weekdays the sun is still at least 20 minutes from rising at 7:00 am. Dark mornings run from Aug 10 to Apr 23, so set it up before Aug 10.
- Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:37 am to 5:38 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 Columbus, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 01m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 6:47 am | 8:45 pm | 13h 58m |
| August 2026 | 7:07 am | 8:17 pm | 13h 10m |
| September 2026 | 7:27 am | 7:37 pm | 12h 10m |
| October 2026 | 7:48 am | 7:00 pm | 11h 12m |
| November 2026 | 7:15 am | 5:36 pm | 10h 21m |
| December 2026 | 7:37 am | 5:38 pm | 10h 01m |
| January 2027 | 7:40 am | 6:02 pm | 10h 22m |
| February 2027 | 7:16 am | 6:30 pm | 11h 14m |
| March 2027 | 7:42 am | 7:52 pm | 12h 10m |
| April 2027 | 7:03 am | 8:14 pm | 13h 10m |
| May 2027 | 6:38 am | 8:35 pm | 13h 57m |
| June 2027 | 6:33 am | 8:50 pm | 14h 17m |
Columbus against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with Columbus (10h 01m, sunset 5:38 pm):
- Phenix City, AL, 10 mi away: 10h 01m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:39 pm (+1 min).
- Valley, AL, 27 mi away: 9h 59m of daylight (-2 min), sunset 5:39 pm (+1 min).
- Opelika, AL, 31 mi away: 10h 00m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 4:40 pm (-58 min), on America/Chicago time.
- Auburn, AL, 36 mi away: 10h 00m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 4:40 pm (-58 min), on America/Chicago time.
- LaGrange, GA, 37 mi away: 9h 58m of daylight (-3 min), sunset 5:37 pm (-1 min).