Tallahassee, FL: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in Tallahassee
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:30 am and sets at 5:41 pm: 10h 11m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 14h 07m, so the swing is 3h 56m.
When it gets better in Tallahassee
- Earliest sunset: 5:36 pm on Dec 2, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:35 am on Jan 9.
- Daylight never drops below 10 hours here.
- By Feb 21 the days grow by 1.8 minutes a day.
Waking and coming home in the dark
With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 170 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 30.5°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 Tallahassee
- A sunrise alarm clock is worth getting here: on 102 weekdays the sun is still at least 20 minutes from rising at 7:00 am. Dark mornings run from Aug 10 to Apr 23, so set it up before Aug 10.
- Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:30 am to 5:41 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 Tallahassee, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 11m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 6:49 am | 8:38 pm | 13h 49m |
| August 2026 | 7:07 am | 8:12 pm | 13h 05m |
| September 2026 | 7:25 am | 7:35 pm | 12h 10m |
| October 2026 | 7:43 am | 6:59 pm | 11h 16m |
| November 2026 | 7:08 am | 5:38 pm | 10h 30m |
| December 2026 | 7:30 am | 5:41 pm | 10h 11m |
| January 2027 | 7:33 am | 6:04 pm | 10h 31m |
| February 2027 | 7:12 am | 6:30 pm | 11h 18m |
| March 2027 | 7:40 am | 7:49 pm | 12h 09m |
| April 2027 | 7:03 am | 8:08 pm | 13h 05m |
| May 2027 | 6:39 am | 8:28 pm | 13h 49m |
| June 2027 | 6:35 am | 8:42 pm | 14h 07m |
Tallahassee against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with Tallahassee (10h 11m, sunset 5:41 pm):
- Cairo, GA, 30 mi away: 10h 09m of daylight (-2 min), sunset 5:39 pm (-2 min).
- Thomasville, GA, 31 mi away: 10h 09m of daylight (-2 min), sunset 5:39 pm (-2 min).
- Bainbridge, GA, 37 mi away: 10h 09m of daylight (-2 min), sunset 5:41 pm (0 min).
- Moultrie, GA, 57 mi away: 10h 07m of daylight (-4 min), sunset 5:37 pm (-4 min).
- Valdosta, GA, 64 mi away: 10h 09m of daylight (-2 min), sunset 5:36 pm (-5 min).