Fort Payne, AL: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in Fort Payne
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 6:45 am and sets at 4:36 pm: 9h 51m of daylight, a moderate winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 28m, so the swing is 4h 37m.
When it gets better in Fort Payne
- Earliest sunset: 4:32 pm on Dec 4, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 6:50 am on Jan 7.
- Back above 10 hours of daylight: Jan 9.
- 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 2 weekdays a year. Heading home at 5:30 pm, it has already set on 80. 0 weekdays start and end in the dark. The alarm and lamp guide shows how that compares across the country.
At 34.5°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 Fort Payne
- 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 6:45 am to 4:36 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 19: worth checking your bike lights and porch light before Nov 2.
Daylight in Fort Payne, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 9h 51m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 5:46 am | 7:53 pm | 14h 07m |
| August 2026 | 6:08 am | 7:23 pm | 13h 15m |
| September 2026 | 6:30 am | 6:41 pm | 12h 11m |
| October 2026 | 6:53 am | 6:01 pm | 11h 08m |
| November 2026 | 6:22 am | 4:35 pm | 10h 13m |
| December 2026 | 6:45 am | 4:36 pm | 9h 51m |
| January 2027 | 6:47 am | 5:01 pm | 10h 14m |
| February 2027 | 6:22 am | 5:32 pm | 11h 10m |
| March 2027 | 6:45 am | 6:55 pm | 12h 10m |
| April 2027 | 6:04 am | 7:19 pm | 13h 15m |
| May 2027 | 5:36 am | 7:43 pm | 14h 06m |
| June 2027 | 5:31 am | 7:58 pm | 14h 28m |
Fort Payne against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with Fort Payne (9h 51m, sunset 4:36 pm):
- Scottsboro, AL, 24 mi away: 9h 50m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 4:37 pm (+1 min).
- Rome, GA, 32 mi away: 9h 52m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 5:35 pm (+59 min), on America/New York time.
- Boaz, AL, 32 mi away: 9h 52m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 4:39 pm (+3 min).
- Albertville, AL, 33 mi away: 9h 52m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 4:39 pm (+3 min).
- Gadsden, AL, 36 mi away: 9h 53m of daylight (+2 min), sunset 4:39 pm (+3 min).