Darkness is coming. Make the most of longer days while they last

Tuesday’s 8 p.m. sunset was Atlanta’s last until April
People at the upper deck enjoyed a sunset at Truist Park on Friday, July 5, 2024 in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

People at the upper deck enjoyed a sunset at Truist Park on Friday, July 5, 2024 in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

While many in Georgia long for cooler weather by the end of summer, most also dread the shorter days and longer nights that fall and winter bring.

Tuesday marked the last sunset at or after 8 p.m. in Atlanta this year. Days are getting shorter with less sunlight as the fall equinox approaches and daylight saving time ends Nov. 3 when clocks fall back one hour.

Residents won’t see an 8 p.m. sunset again until April, according to predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s solar calculator.

The latest sunset this year was at 8:52 p.m. in June and July, and since then, the sunsets have gotten earlier. The earliest sunset Georgians will face this winter will occur in December at 5:29 p.m.

But not all hope is lost. Here’s five ways to bask in the sunshine and find joy this fall:

Cool breezes have also arrived particularly early this year — while 90-degree heat typically sticks around through mid-September, cooler weather is expected to last through the month thanks to northeast winds flowing down the eastern slopes of the Appalachians.