Seattle’s post-5 p.m. sunsets are here

Today may not seem like a special day. But you are mistaken. Wednesday marks the first day of the year when the sun will set after 5 p.m. — and that’s reason enough to celebrate in Seattle.

So go forth and enjoy the day’s 9 hours and 18 minutes of daylight and be assured the “Big Dark” is gradually coming to an end. Your afternoon will no longer consist of staring longingly at the sun as it dips below the horizon, or more realistically, watching the sky darken as it drizzles.

While it has only been about a month since the winter solstice on Dec. 21, there’s more good news for anyone else missing the sun: We’re six weeks away from sunsets after 7 p.m.

Daylight saving time begins March 13, when we’ll all turn our clocks one hour forward. That day, the sun will set at 7:12 p.m.

Soon, post-work walks, runs and bike rides will be within our reach. Perhaps, meeting up with friends after work won’t mean huddling around a heater, but instead, enjoying a sunset.

December and January in Seattle are infamously gloomy with high cloud cover and little daylight. The darkest day in Seattle typically has 8.5 hours of daylight, according to the website timeanddate.com.

Before you know it, the spring equinox will be here on March 20, when the sun will rise at 7:11 a.m. and set at 7:22 p.m., and more daylight will be upon us. The last time the sun set around 5 p.m. in Seattle was Nov. 7, just after daylight saving time ended.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated daylight saving time ends March 13 and started on Nov. 7, 2021. Daylight saving time begins in March and ends in November.