Opelika, AL: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in Opelika
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 6:40 am and sets at 4:40 pm: 10h 00m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 18m, so the swing is 4h 18m.
When it gets better in Opelika
- Earliest sunset: 4:35 pm on Dec 3, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 6:44 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 0 weekdays a year. Heading home at 5:30 pm, it has already set on 79. 0 weekdays start and end in the dark. The alarm and lamp guide shows how that compares across the country.
At 32.7°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 Opelika
- 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 6:40 am to 4:40 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 18: worth checking your bike lights and porch light before Nov 2.
Daylight in Opelika, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 00m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 5:48 am | 7:47 pm | 13h 59m |
| August 2026 | 6:09 am | 7:20 pm | 13h 10m |
| September 2026 | 6:29 am | 6:39 pm | 12h 10m |
| October 2026 | 6:50 am | 6:02 pm | 11h 11m |
| November 2026 | 6:17 am | 4:38 pm | 10h 21m |
| December 2026 | 6:40 am | 4:40 pm | 10h 00m |
| January 2027 | 6:42 am | 5:04 pm | 10h 22m |
| February 2027 | 6:18 am | 5:32 pm | 11h 14m |
| March 2027 | 6:44 am | 6:54 pm | 12h 10m |
| April 2027 | 6:05 am | 7:16 pm | 13h 10m |
| May 2027 | 5:39 am | 7:37 pm | 13h 58m |
| June 2027 | 5:34 am | 7:52 pm | 14h 18m |
Opelika against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with Opelika (10h 00m, sunset 4:40 pm):
- Auburn, AL, 8 mi away: 10h 00m of daylight (0 min), sunset 4:40 pm (0 min).
- Valley, AL, 15 mi away: 9h 59m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:39 pm (+59 min), on America/New York time.
- Phenix City, AL, 25 mi away: 10h 01m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 5:39 pm (+59 min), on America/New York time.
- Columbus, GA, 31 mi away: 10h 01m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 5:38 pm (+58 min), on America/New York time.
- LaGrange, GA, 32 mi away: 9h 58m of daylight (-2 min), sunset 5:37 pm (+57 min), on America/New York time.