It’s been a funny old summer once again. Apart from the odd mini-heatwave here and there, the warm weather never really threatened to get going, did it? The skies have been full of as much downpour as sunshine, and now we’re heading towards winter already.
The days are getting shorter, the nights are longer, and we’ve noticed our evenings are becoming more… autumnal by the day. Unsurprisingly then, we realised that this week sees the last 8PM sunset of the year in Birmingham.
According to Time and Date, the sun will set tonight (August 29) at exactly 20:01, before setting at the very bizarre time of 19:59 the very next day.
Of course, the days have been getting shorter since June 23, but we’ve had a long summer of late nights – with every sunset since April 11 taking place after 8PM in Bristol. This feels like a real sign that summer is ending and that winter is fast approaching. We won’t see another sunset as late again until April 12, 2025 (at 20:01).
It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Autumn won’t officially start until September 22. Meanwhile, the shortest day of the year isn’t until December 21 (with sunrise at 08:16 and sunset at 15:55).
Between now and then, there’s lots to look forward to like Halloween, Guy Fawkes and Christmas! We’re already a little giddy over the thought of heading out on a winter walk, before pulling up a seat next to a pub fire and sharing pints with friends.