Seattle's daylight is shrinking fast
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For many Americans, the air is getting crisper and the leaves are starting to change as fall approaches — but one thing's certain in Seattle: The days are getting shorter fast.
Why it matters: "When you get where we are now, the loss accelerates and all of a sudden you're waking up in the pitch black or commuting in the dark," Justin Shaw of Seattle Weather Blog told Axios. "Our transition to fall is startling and fast."
State of play: Seattle loses or gains about one minute of light per day near the solstices but three to four minutes a day near the equinoxes.
- That adds up to an hour and 20 minutes in September alone, according to Time and Date.
The big picture: Parts of the northern U.S. lose more than three hours of daylight between June 20 (the summer solstice) and Sept. 22 (the fall equinox), per NOAA's Solar Calculator.
How it works: Northern latitudes lose more daylight in the fall and winter compared to areas closer to the equator as the Sun's path through the sky shifts southward.
What's next: We'll make another leap into darkness when we switch to standard time on Nov. 3, lose an hour of evening light and say goodbye to our last post-5pm sunset.
- In 2019, Washington state lawmakers approved a bill to adopt permanent daylight saving time, but that measure has since languished without congressional approval.
Worthy of your time: If you struggle with the winter blues, as many Seattleites do, check out our advice for dealing with seasonal affective disorder or seasonal depression.
The bottom line: All this means soaking up as much daylight as you can in the meantime.
Things to do while the Sun is still up:
💦 Get leaves out of the storm drains before the rain hits.
🎨 Stroll the city like a tourist and visit all the new murals.
🍸 Grab a drink at one of Seattle's rooftop bars.
And things to do when it gets dark:
📖 Curl up with a new read from one of Seattle's many independent bookstores.
✨ See the stars at one of the Seattle Astronomical Society's public gazing parties.
🐟 Visit the aquarium's new Ocean Pavilion or one of the area's museums, many of which have free admission on the first Thursday of the month.