No more 7 p.m. sunsets in Western WA as the Big Dark approaches

The last 7 p.m. sunset of the year happened Thursday, Sept. 25, for Seattle and western Washington, meaning the Big Dark is coming.

7 p.m. sunsets won’t return until March 5, 2026.

The last 6 p.m. sunset is a month later, on Oct. 26, while the last 5 p.m. sunset happens only a week after, on Nov. 2. September and October are the two months with the fastest rates of declining daylight in Washington. September and October lose 90-100 minutes per day, according to TimeandDate.

The Earth’s tilt is the reason for the sunset time changes, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). In the spring and summer, the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun, resulting in longer days. In fall and winter, it tilts away, shortening them.

Western Washington experienced only eight hours and 20 minutes of daylight on Dec. 21, the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year.

Around the equinoxes in March and September, the tilt is neutral, giving nearly equal days and nights across the globe. The fall equinox, which falls on Sept. 22, marks the point where the nights become longer than the days leading up to the winter solstice.

When does daylight saving time end?

Clocks “fall back” one hour on Sunday, Nov. 2, ending daylight saving time until March 2026.

The Washington legislature has previously debated ending daylight saving time. Washington lawmakers passed a bill in 2019 to keep the state in daylight saving time permanently. That would mean we would not “fall back” in November — preserving 5 p.m. sunsets throughout the winter.

But for the bill to take effect, the state still needs a federal waiver from Congress.

Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray has made no secret of her desire to make daylight saving time permanent across the U.S. In 2021, she and Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio introduced the Sunshine Protection Act to the U.S. Senate.

“In addition to being the overwhelming will of the people of Washington state, it’s been shown that making daylight saving time permanent would improve the safety, health, and well-being of our families, and boost our economy, so this is absolutely something we should get done,” she told MyNorthwest at the time.

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