Daylight Saving Time in Seattle is ending on Sunday, November 2 with a sunset before 5:00 p.m.
Love it or hate it, Daylight Saving Time is still observed in Seattle. That means that on this Sunday, November 2 the sunset will suddenly set an hour earlier at 4:49 p.m. Longtime Seattleites know what that means: this winter’s Big Dark is officially here.
Read on for all the details.
Daylight Saving Time is a controversial issue here in Seattle. In 2019 Washington’s governor signed a state bill that would allow for the year-round observation of Daylight Saving Time (i.e. no more “falling back” to these early winter sunsets). Ultimately, however, the bill won’t go through without a federal waiver.
There is also the Sunshine Protection Act that has been introduced to Congress to make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the country. It would mean later sunrises and sunsets during the four months that we currently observe standard time. That bill was introduced in 2023 with no result as of yet.
So for now, Seattle will continue to set the clocks back an hour every November and forward an hour every March. On Sunday, November 2 the sunrise will be an hour earlier at 6:55 a.m. and the sun will set an hour earlier as well at 4:49 p.m. The earliest sunsets in Seattle this winter will be in December, with the sun setting at 4:17 p.m. for several days before the days slowly begin to get longer again.
The sun won’t set after 5:00 p.m. again until late January. Then we’ll see an even more dramatic increase in sunlight when Daylight Saving Time returns on March 8, 2026. On that day, the sunset will jump an hour later and we will once again see the sun setting after 7:00 p.m. here in Seattle. Once we hit that milestone, you can rest assured that spring (and eventually Seattle’s long summer days) will be back soon.
In the meantime, as Seattle enters the Big Dark, we recommend using our guides full of fun things to do in Seattle this winter:
- The Top 37 Things To Do In Seattle In November 2025
- A Cozy New Bar For Book Lovers Just Opened In Ballard
- The 14 Most Exciting Temporary Exhibitions In Seattle To See This Winter
- The Ultimate Seattle Winter Bucket List
- Seattle’s New “Social Sauna” On Pier 62 Is Here To Melt The Seattle Freeze This Winter
- 5 Charming Washington Towns For A Snowy Winter Getaway Near Seattle
Get cozy, Seattle, and don’t forget to turn on your sun lamp!