Days are about to get way shorter in September: How much daylight we’re losing

(NEXSTAR) – The calendars have officially flipped to September, which means fall is basically upon us , bringing the prospect of cooler temperatures, changing leaves, and, unfortunately, shorter days.

At least, the days will start feeling shorter. They still have 24 hours in them, as they always do. But we’re about to see less and less daylight as the month goes on.

Through September’s end, some parts of the country will lose more than an hour of daylight compared to where they stand now. In many cases, sunsets will start happening before 7 p.m. , a trend that won’t change for months.

It’s all because of Earth’s tilt and orbit. During this time of year, the sun hits the northern hemisphere more indirectly, reducing how much daylight we get.

It’s those living in the northern portions of the U.S. that stand to lose the most daylight through September. Bismarck, North Dakota, for example, will have lost about 95 minutes of daylight by the time October begins. Further west in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 30 will be about one and a half hours shorter than Sept. 1.

The interactive table below shows how much daylight 60 U.S. cities will lose this month:

The best off is Honolulu, Hawaii, where there is only about a 34-minute difference in the amount of daylight the city sees between the start and end of September. Its lack of lost sunlight was a contributing factor in the state’s decision to observe standard time year-round .

Between now and the day that every other clock in the U.S. falls back to standard time, the aforementioned cities will have lost about twice the daylight they lose in September alone. Through October, Bismarck’s daylight will decline by about 96 minutes – combined with September, that’s a loss of more than three hours of daylight by Nov. 1.

Nov. 1 will, in a way, be the longest day of the year. At 2 a.m., our clocks are set to “fall back” to 1 a.m., essentially giving us an extra hour in the day.

That long day may be nonexistent, though, should the Senate pass the Sunshine Protection Act upon returning from recess. The bill, which has received President Trump’s support since passing through the House, would make daylight saving time permanent . While you would notice an impact , the move would not add to the amount of daylight hours we experience during winter.

Unless the Senate takes up and passes the Sunshine Protection Act soon, you can expect your clocks to fall back an hour on Nov. 1.