Midland, TX: shortest day and earliest sunset

The shortest day in Midland

On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:45 am and sets at 5:48 pm: 10h 03m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 15m, so the swing is 4h 12m.

When it gets better in Midland

• Earliest sunset: 5:44 pm on Dec 3, before the shortest day (here is why).
• Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:50 am on Jan 9.
• 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 201 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 32.0°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 Midland

• A sunrise alarm clock is worth getting here: on 142 weekdays the sun is still at least 20 minutes from rising at 7:00 am. Dark mornings run from Jul 27 to May 3, so set it up before Jul 27.
• Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:45 am to 5:48 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 Midland, month by month

Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 03m.

Midland against the places around it

On the shortest day, compared with Midland (10h 03m, sunset 5:48 pm):

• Odessa, TX, 17 mi away: 10h 04m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 5:50 pm (+2 min).
• Andrews, TX, 33 mi away: 10h 02m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:49 pm (+1 min).
• Big Spring, TX, 40 mi away: 10h 02m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:45 pm (-3 min).
• Hobbs, NM, 78 mi away: 10h 00m of daylight (-3 min), sunset 4:51 pm (-57 min), on America/Denver time.
• Snyder, TX, 85 mi away: 10h 00m of daylight (-3 min), sunset 5:42 pm (-6 min).