Tavares, FL: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in Tavares
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:16 am and sets at 5:35 pm: 10h 19m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 13h 59m, so the swing is 3h 40m.
When it gets better in Tavares
- Earliest sunset: 5:29 pm on Dec 1, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:21 am on Jan 10.
- Daylight never drops below 10 hours here.
- By Feb 21 the days grow by 1.6 minutes a day.
Waking and coming home in the dark
With a 7:00 am alarm, the sun is not yet up on 135 weekdays a year. Heading home at 5:30 pm, it has already set on 9. 6 weekdays start and end in the dark. The alarm and lamp guide shows how that compares across the country.
At 28.8°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 Tavares
- A sunrise alarm clock is worth considering if you get up at 7:00 am or earlier: 47 weekday mornings here are still properly dark at that hour, mostly between Aug 24 and Apr 16.
- Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:16 am to 5:35 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 25 to Dec 7: worth checking your bike lights and porch light before Nov 25.
Daylight in Tavares, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 19m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 6:42 am | 8:25 pm | 13h 42m |
| August 2026 | 6:59 am | 8:00 pm | 13h 01m |
| September 2026 | 7:15 am | 7:25 pm | 12h 10m |
| October 2026 | 7:32 am | 6:51 pm | 11h 19m |
| November 2026 | 6:55 am | 5:31 pm | 10h 36m |
| December 2026 | 7:16 am | 5:35 pm | 10h 19m |
| January 2027 | 7:20 am | 5:57 pm | 10h 37m |
| February 2027 | 7:00 am | 6:21 pm | 11h 21m |
| March 2027 | 7:30 am | 7:39 pm | 12h 09m |
| April 2027 | 6:55 am | 7:57 pm | 13h 01m |
| May 2027 | 6:33 am | 8:15 pm | 13h 42m |
| June 2027 | 6:29 am | 8:28 pm | 13h 59m |
Tavares against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with Tavares (10h 19m, sunset 5:35 pm):
- Eustis, FL, 8 mi away: 10h 18m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:34 pm (-1 min).
- Mount Dora, FL, 8 mi away: 10h 18m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:34 pm (-1 min).
- Groveland, FL, 9 mi away: 10h 19m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:35 pm (0 min).
- Leesburg, FL, 10 mi away: 10h 19m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:35 pm (0 min).
- Minneola, FL, 11 mi away: 10h 19m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:35 pm (0 min).