West Melbourne, FL: shortest day and earliest sunset
The shortest day in West Melbourne
On Dec 21 the sun rises at 7:10 am and sets at 5:32 pm: 10h 22m of daylight, a bright winter. The longest day of summer has 13h 55m, so the swing is 3h 34m.
When it gets better in West Melbourne
- Earliest sunset: 5:26 pm on Dec 1, before the shortest day (here is why).
- Latest sunrise (standard time): 7:16 am on Jan 11.
- 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 117 weekdays a year. Heading home at 5:30 pm, it has already set on 24. 9 weekdays start and end in the dark. The alarm and lamp guide shows how that compares across the country.
At 28.1°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 West Melbourne
- A sunrise alarm clock is worth considering if you get up at 7:00 am or earlier: 24 weekday mornings here are still properly dark at that hour, mostly between Aug 31 and Apr 12.
- Daylight alone gives little reason for a light therapy lamp here. Getting outside in the 7:10 am to 5:32 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 16 to Dec 17: worth checking your bike lights and porch light before Nov 16.
Daylight in West Melbourne, month by month
Sunrise, sunset and day length on the 21st of each month, local clock time. December is the darkest, at 10h 22m.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 6:39 am | 8:19 pm | 13h 40m |
| August 2026 | 6:56 am | 7:55 pm | 12h 59m |
| September 2026 | 7:11 am | 7:20 pm | 12h 10m |
| October 2026 | 7:27 am | 6:47 pm | 11h 21m |
| November 2026 | 6:49 am | 5:28 pm | 10h 39m |
| December 2026 | 7:10 am | 5:32 pm | 10h 22m |
| January 2027 | 7:14 am | 5:54 pm | 10h 40m |
| February 2027 | 6:55 am | 6:18 pm | 11h 23m |
| March 2027 | 7:26 am | 7:34 pm | 12h 09m |
| April 2027 | 6:52 am | 7:51 pm | 12h 59m |
| May 2027 | 6:30 am | 8:09 pm | 13h 39m |
| June 2027 | 6:27 am | 8:22 pm | 13h 55m |
West Melbourne against the places around it
On the shortest day, compared with West Melbourne (10h 22m, sunset 5:32 pm):
- Melbourne, FL, 4 mi away: 10h 22m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:32 pm (0 min).
- Palm Bay, FL, 7 mi away: 10h 22m of daylight (0 min), sunset 5:32 pm (0 min).
- Satellite Beach, FL, 10 mi away: 10h 21m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:31 pm (-1 min).
- Rockledge, FL, 19 mi away: 10h 21m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:31 pm (-1 min).
- Cocoa Beach, FL, 19 mi away: 10h 21m of daylight (-1 min), sunset 5:31 pm (-1 min).