Rome, GA: shortest day and earliest sunset

The shortest day in Rome

On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:43 am and sets at 5:35 pm: 9h 52m of daylight, a moderate winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 27m, so the swing is 4h 35m.

When it gets better in Rome

• Earliest sunset: 5:31 pm on Dec 4, before the shortest day (here is why).
• Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:47 am on Jan 7.
• Back above 10 hours of daylight: Jan 8.
• By Feb 21 the days grow by 2 minutes a day.

Waking and coming home in the dark

With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 178 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 34.3°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 Rome

• A sunrise alarm clock is worth getting here: on 120 weekdays the sun is still at least 20 minutes from rising at 7:00 am. Dark mornings run from Aug 13 to Apr 23, so set it up before Aug 13.
• Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:43 am to 5:35 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 Rome, month by month

Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 9h 52m.

Rome against the places around it

On the shortest day, compared with Rome (9h 52m, sunset 5:35 pm):

• Cedartown, GA, 17 mi away: 9h 53m of daylight (+1 min), sunset 5:36 pm (+1 min).
• Calhoun, GA, 22 mi away: 9h 51m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:33 pm (-2 min).
• Cartersville, GA, 23 mi away: 9h 52m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:34 pm (-1 min).
• Dallas, GA, 31 mi away: 9h 54m of daylight (+2 min), sunset 5:34 pm (-1 min).
• Fort Payne, AL, 32 mi away: 9h 51m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 4:36 pm (-59 min), on America/Chicago time.