The sun is setting earlier and earlier across Tennessee as the year moves closer towards the end of daylight saving time.
Since the summer solstice in June, the longest day of the year, cities across the northern hemisphere have been losing daylight, and this process will continue as we near the end of daylight saving time.
In Tennessee’s largest three cities, residents experienced about 14 hours and 30 minutes of daylight during the summer solstice. By the end of September, this number will be down to 11 hours and 50 minutes. On the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, Tennessee will see roughly 9 hours and 45 minutes of sunlight.
On Labor Day, the sun in most Tennessee cities set before 8 p.m., and the sun will continue to set earlier as the month progresses towards the annual time change and the fall season. Knoxville and Chattanooga were the only major cities to see a Labor Day sunset after 8 p.m. By the middle of the month, they will join the rest of the state in earlier sunsets.
Here’s what to know as fall officially begins and Tennessee begins to lose more and more daylight.
When is the first day of fall?
Fall officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere on Sept. 22, at 2:19 p.m. EDT, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
The autumnal equinox is an astronomical event that signals the start of fall. It occurs in September for the Northern Hemisphere and in March for the Southern Hemisphere, marking the moment when day and night are nearly equal in length.
When does the sun rise, set in Tennessee in September?
Here’s a look at when the sun rises and sets throughout Tennessee’s major cities, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
By the end of the month, the state will experience fewer than 12 hours of sunlight each day. The earliest any part of Tennessee will see an 8 p.m. sunset again will be March 2026 for parts of East Tennessee.
Chattanooga
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Sept. 1: sunrise, 7:14 a.m., sunset, 8:07 p.m.
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Sept. 15: sunrise, 7:24 a.m.; sunset, 7:48 p.m.
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Sept. 30: sunrise, 7:35 a.m.; sunset, 7:29 p.m.
Clarksville
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Sept. 1: sunrise, 6:21 a.m., sunset, 7:17 p.m.
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Sept. 15: sunrise, 6:32 a.m.; sunset, 6:56 p.m.
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Sept. 30: sunrise, 6:44 a.m.; sunset, 6:34 p.m.
Knoxville
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Sept. 1: sunrise, 7:07 a.m., sunset, 8:03 p.m.
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Sept. 15: sunrise, 7:18 a.m.; sunset, 7:42 p.m.
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Sept. 30: sunrise, 7:30 a.m.; sunset, 7:20 p.m.
Memphis
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Sept. 1: sunrise, 6:33 a.m., sunset, 7:26 p.m.
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Sept. 15: sunrise, 6:43 a.m.; sunset, 7:07 p.m.
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Sept. 30: sunrise, 6:54 a.m.; sunset, 6:45 p.m.
Nashville
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Sept. 1: sunrise, 6:19 a.m., sunset, 7:14 p.m.
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Sept. 15: sunrise, 6:29 a.m.; sunset, 6:54 p.m.
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Sept. 30: sunrise, 6:41 a.m.; sunset, 6:32 p.m.
When do we set clocks back in the fall?
In 2025, daylight saving time will end on Sunday, Nov. 2, after it began on Sunday, March 9.
While it may seem like the time clock we use in winter is not standard, that is the standard time. Since 2005, daylight saving time has started on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
Next year, Daylight Saving Time will begin again on Sunday, March 8, 2026. Daylight Saving Time 2026 begins on the second Sunday in March in most areas of the U.S., including Michigan.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How much daylight will Tennessee lose in September? What to know
