This Is When Eastern Iowa Will See The Last 7:00 p.m. Sunset For 2024

We're headed into the cold months.

Besides the snow, one of the worst parts about fall and winter is that it gets darker earlier. That tanks my productivity after 5:00. And while summer nights have been lovely, with walks by the river at 8:00 p.m. in still near-broad daylight, that's coming to a close.

The fall solstice is on September 22nd. The solstice marks the time that the sun is directly over the earth's equator.

But it's before that that we will start losing daylight.

The Last 7:00 p.m. Sunset

According to timeanddate.com, the sunset will be at 7:00 p.m. on September 21st. And for 7 months after, it will be earlier.

It isn't until we spring forward in March that the sunset is at 7:00 p.m. again and it will really start staying out later in late April.

We will lose that hour of daylight starting on November 3rd so then the sun will start setting around 5:00 p.m. Wonderful.

We All Hate It

Studies show that two-thirds of workers feel less productive in the winter, due in part to the lack of daylight. Experts say that the lack of natural light leads to an increase in melatonin (the chemical that helps us sleep) and it results in "fatigue and diminished motivation".

To stay even remotely motivated in these months, it's recommended that you do things like journal, pick up a creative activity, exercise (at home if it's too gross outside), listen to some podcasts, or set a reading challenge for yourself.

It's hard to want to do anything when you get off work and it's already dark outside. But spring will be here before we know it!