Florence, AL: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in Florence
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 6:54 am and sets at 4:43 pm: 9h 49m of daylight, a moderate winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 30m, so the swing is 4h 41m.
When it gets better in Florence
- Earliest sunset: 4:39 pm on Dec 4, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 6:59 am on Jan 7.
- Back above 10 hours of daylight: Jan 11.
- By Feb 21 the days grow by 2.1 minutes a day.
Waking and coming home in the dark
With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 11 weekdays a year. Heading home at 5:30 pm, it has already set on 74. 0 weekdays start and end in the dark. The alarm and lamp guide shows how that compares across the country.
At 34.8°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 Florence
- You probably do not need a sunrise alarm clock for a 7:00 am start here: only 0 weekday mornings are still properly dark. If you get up earlier, check the hour against the sunrise times in the table below.
- Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 6:54 am to 4:43 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 2 to Feb 11: worth checking your bike lights and porch light before Nov 2.
Daylight in Florence, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 9h 49m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 5:53 am | 8:01 pm | 14h 09m |
| August 2026 | 6:16 am | 7:31 pm | 13h 16m |
| September 2026 | 6:38 am | 6:49 pm | 12h 11m |
| October 2026 | 7:02 am | 6:08 pm | 11h 07m |
| November 2026 | 6:31 am | 4:42 pm | 10h 11m |
| December 2026 | 6:54 am | 4:43 pm | 9h 49m |
| January 2027 | 6:56 am | 5:08 pm | 10h 13m |
| February 2027 | 6:30 am | 5:39 pm | 11h 09m |
| March 2027 | 6:53 am | 7:03 pm | 12h 10m |
| April 2027 | 6:12 am | 7:28 pm | 13h 16m |
| May 2027 | 5:43 am | 7:51 pm | 14h 08m |
| June 2027 | 5:38 am | 8:07 pm | 14h 30m |
Florence against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with Florence (9h 49m, sunset 4:43 pm):
- Muscle Shoals, AL, 6 mi away: 9h 49m of daylight (0 min), sunset 4:43 pm (0 min).
- Russellville, AL, 23 mi away: 9h 51m of daylight (+2 min), sunset 4:44 pm (+1 min).
- Lawrenceburg, TN, 34 mi away: 9h 47m of daylight (-2 min), sunset 4:41 pm (-2 min).
- Athens, AL, 41 mi away: 9h 49m of daylight (0 min), sunset 4:41 pm (-2 min).
- Decatur, AL, 42 mi away: 9h 50m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 4:41 pm (-2 min).